The arrival into the port was a little disappointing -- very industrial and not attractive, and there wasn't much to see on the horizon. We were all exhausted, and I took the morning off from the gym and opted for an extra cup of coffee in the library, instead. It took a while to clear the ship through customs, and while we waited, we got to hear a band playing outside on the dock, greeting us (they were a quite good). We had to wait in a bit of a line for a visa (we actually had to show our passports and prove we were going on a tour) and then we were off on our tour.
I'll probably require T.J.'s memory on this to recall everything, but I'll give it a whirl. (For those wanting more details, visit http://www.saint-petersburg.com/attractions/index.asp, which has some great links on the churches, museums and palaces we visited) We were all quite surprised at the buildings in the city. They were all HUGE (wide, not tall), and painted in cheerful pastels -- quite the opposite of what I expected from Russia. Simply beautiful. The people, however, were very serious, and you definitely got the feeling that you didn't want to mess with them.
We bought some nesting dolls from a street vendor. Amelia was excited because hers had a ladybug on them. (I bought Jack one later on that was all panda bears. They even had St. Louis Cardinals nesting dolls.) And if you wanted to take pictures in any of the museums, you had to buy a special sticker and put it on your camera.
We drove first by the Spilled Blood Cathedral, which was one of my favorite things to see. It was just what you'd see as a postcard of a traditional Russian Orthodox cathedral. Very impressive. Unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to go inside, which will be a big regret, as we heard it was beautiful, with many mosaics.
Our next stop was the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul. It's the oldest church in St. Petersburg (from the early 1700s). It plays bells at noon and sends off a canon shot (which we heard, and it scared the daylights out of Amelia -- and worried me a little, too). One major attraction is the graves of most of the Romanov rulers of Russia from Peter the Great onward. Also here are both Catherines, Elizabeth, all three Alexanders, Paul, Peter III, Anne - and now both Nicholases as well.
We then took a boat ride down the Neva river, and really got a great view of the city. It really was far more beautiful that I thought it would be. Amelia fell asleep and missed most of the show.
We went then for a group lunch. I imagine it was some sort of traditional Russian dish -- stroganoff, perhaps? Jack loved it. They also had champagne and vodka for us. Whoo, doggy. It was strong. I drank it (OK, both). When in Russia, you know.
After lunch, we went to St. Isaac's Cathedral, and it was, again, spectacular.
We bought some nesting dolls from a street vendor. Amelia was excited because hers had a ladybug on them. (I bought Jack one later on that was all panda bears. They even had St. Louis Cardinals nesting dolls.) And if you wanted to take pictures in any of the museums, you had to buy a special sticker and put it on your camera.
We drove first by the Spilled Blood Cathedral, which was one of my favorite things to see. It was just what you'd see as a postcard of a traditional Russian Orthodox cathedral. Very impressive. Unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to go inside, which will be a big regret, as we heard it was beautiful, with many mosaics.
Our next stop was the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul. It's the oldest church in St. Petersburg (from the early 1700s). It plays bells at noon and sends off a canon shot (which we heard, and it scared the daylights out of Amelia -- and worried me a little, too). One major attraction is the graves of most of the Romanov rulers of Russia from Peter the Great onward. Also here are both Catherines, Elizabeth, all three Alexanders, Paul, Peter III, Anne - and now both Nicholases as well.
We then took a boat ride down the Neva river, and really got a great view of the city. It really was far more beautiful that I thought it would be. Amelia fell asleep and missed most of the show.
We went then for a group lunch. I imagine it was some sort of traditional Russian dish -- stroganoff, perhaps? Jack loved it. They also had champagne and vodka for us. Whoo, doggy. It was strong. I drank it (OK, both). When in Russia, you know.
After lunch, we went to St. Isaac's Cathedral, and it was, again, spectacular.
Finally, we ended the day at Yusupov Palace. These palaces are all relatively nondescript on the outside, but phenomenal on the inside. I especially loved the theater inside.
This was also the place where Rasputin was murdered (http://www.saint-petersburg.com/museums/yusupov-palace.asp), for those who are more familiar with Russian history than I.
Tuesday, Aug. 5 -- St. Petersburg, Russia
Another full day of touring today. We started off with a short metro ride -- just one stop. We thought it sounded rather goofy, until we saw the metro stations (which we're forbidden to take pictures of -- one tourist on a previous cruise actually was taken to the police station for taking a picture there). The two we saw, and our guide says they're all like this, were amazing. Chandeliers, statues, marble, brass reliefs -- unbelievable. And they were spotless, too. Some of the trains seemed pretty old, but in good condition. And there were trains every 3-4 minutes. We were in rush hour, granted, but I'm not used to seeing them so often, even in rush hour!
We continued on to the Peterhof summer palace and gardens. It was completely destroyed during the war by Hitler, but they rebuilt it completely, and as accurately as possible. They had moved some of the statues and paintings, etc. to Moscow during the war, and they even buried some of the fountains so the Germans wouldn't destroy them.
Everything was just spectacular.
After that, we headed to lunch, which was unremarkable, unfortunately. I'm not sure if it was traditional Russian (the borscht was, but the rest was just mystery chicken and saffron rice), but it didn't seem impressive. But more champagne and vodka (at least this stuff was a little smoother than yesterday's). Of course I had to drink it, but we had to quickly take it away from the children, as they thought the little vodka glasses were just their size...
This was also the place where Rasputin was murdered (http://www.saint-petersburg.com/museums/yusupov-palace.asp), for those who are more familiar with Russian history than I.
Tuesday, Aug. 5 -- St. Petersburg, Russia
Another full day of touring today. We started off with a short metro ride -- just one stop. We thought it sounded rather goofy, until we saw the metro stations (which we're forbidden to take pictures of -- one tourist on a previous cruise actually was taken to the police station for taking a picture there). The two we saw, and our guide says they're all like this, were amazing. Chandeliers, statues, marble, brass reliefs -- unbelievable. And they were spotless, too. Some of the trains seemed pretty old, but in good condition. And there were trains every 3-4 minutes. We were in rush hour, granted, but I'm not used to seeing them so often, even in rush hour!
We continued on to the Peterhof summer palace and gardens. It was completely destroyed during the war by Hitler, but they rebuilt it completely, and as accurately as possible. They had moved some of the statues and paintings, etc. to Moscow during the war, and they even buried some of the fountains so the Germans wouldn't destroy them.
Everything was just spectacular.
After that, we headed to lunch, which was unremarkable, unfortunately. I'm not sure if it was traditional Russian (the borscht was, but the rest was just mystery chicken and saffron rice), but it didn't seem impressive. But more champagne and vodka (at least this stuff was a little smoother than yesterday's). Of course I had to drink it, but we had to quickly take it away from the children, as they thought the little vodka glasses were just their size...
In ther afternoon, we went to Catherine's winter palace and the Hermitage Museum. Again, this was just unbelievable and beyond impressive. this building wasn't damaged during the war but again, they moved a lot of the interior to Moscow.
You can see how excited Amelia is to see another palace.
A mosaic on the floor in the palace.
Upon returning to the ship, the kids and T.J. went on board while I popped into a DVD shop and a souvenir shop. The DVDs were of, uh, questionable origin. Let's just say that on the Sex and the City DVD, Jennifer Hudson had top billing. Pretty funny to see a bootleg DVD shop run on a major port
When I walked back toward the gangway, I could hear the band playing for us again. And above the music, I could hear my children shouting "more music, more music." Everyone was looking up at them, and it was fun to watch them dancing on the balcony.
You can see how excited Amelia is to see another palace.
A mosaic on the floor in the palace.
Upon returning to the ship, the kids and T.J. went on board while I popped into a DVD shop and a souvenir shop. The DVDs were of, uh, questionable origin. Let's just say that on the Sex and the City DVD, Jennifer Hudson had top billing. Pretty funny to see a bootleg DVD shop run on a major port
When I walked back toward the gangway, I could hear the band playing for us again. And above the music, I could hear my children shouting "more music, more music." Everyone was looking up at them, and it was fun to watch them dancing on the balcony.
Wednesday, Aug. 6 -- Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn turned out to be a wonderful surprise, much like Dubrovnik on our last trip. I was up early (again) to exchange dollars into Kroon, as we were warned that it was illegal for shop owners to accept foreign currency. We were on our own again today, and after a quick walk from port, we were in the old walled city. We had been on the hunt for a Faberge-type egg in Russia, but hadn't found one we liked. But we found one in Tallinn -- a beautiful blue egg that opens to show one of the Russian orthodox churches (we had been trying to find one with the Spilled Blood Cathedral, and this one -- showing a church in Moscow -- was the closest we came) and is also a music box. One of our favorite souvenirs. And, it figures, they accepted euros for payment. Was this just a scam to exchange money for Kroon at a ripoff rate?
We continued to explore the town, and Amelia and I opted to make a long climb up one of the church's bell towers. I was skeptical, as they said it was over 200 steps. But she was amazing, and made it to the top without any complaints, requests to be held, or rest stops. It was a super-narrow, winding staircase (and it was used both for folks going up and coming down, which made for tight squeezes), but the view was wonderful. (below is the tower we climbed.)
We continued to walk around, and the buildings were very pretty and ornate. In the main square there was a market (hooray!) with lots of sweaters, felted wool items, and other handicrafts. Several stalls had these seasoned roasted almonds that were just wonderful. And, of course, they accepted both dollars and euros. (It was fantastic to be able to use so many dollars on this cruise!) I got the kids these darling homemade horses, after much begging and pleading. They're so cute, I might keep them for myself.
Lunch was a stop at Olde Hansa, a restaurant serving traditional (I suppose) old Estonian food. Like meat soup (see picture for the big hunk of meat) and bear and barley. T.J. declared it the best meal he had all trip. The kids did well, and I ate almonds (too funky of a menu for me, and they didn't even serve Diet Coke).
After lunch we continued to walk around to the upper city, where we got in a game of tag, some ice cream and more souvenir shopping. It was a charming, charming town, and quite a nice way to end the trip.
Thursday, Aug. 7 -- Sea Day
Today was our first sea day heading back to Dover. In 6 days, I think we will change time zones 5 times. It's very confusing for the kids, especially.
The day was pretty uneventful -- just relaxing. I had a massage in the morning; T.J. played in his poker tournament in the afternoon (unfortunately, he didn't win this one). The kids enjoyed the Kids' Club, and I also took them swimming in the afternoon.
We went to one of the main dining rooms for dinner and to celebrate our anniversary a little early. They brought us a cake and sang "Let me call you sweetheart." Both the kids had big grins on their faces and loved the attention.
In the evening, the kids were in the club, going to see a acrobatic/dancing/magic kind of show. T.J. and I peeked in on the show and could see the kids concentrating intently. He and I went up to one of the lounges at the front of the ship so we could see the ship passing under the 2nd largest suspension bridge in the world, connecting Sweeden and Denmark. We got there just as we were approaching the bridge, and also entering a thunderstorm. It looked like we passed under the bridge with not much room to spare, and everyone clapped when we made it under. The lightening was pretty spectacular as well. Afterwards, we headed to the casino, where I got $20 in free slot play (lost it all) and $15 in blackjack play, which I managed to parlay into $100 with T.J.'s help. But as soon as I lost my free $15, I walked away from the table. I'm just not a good gambler (both skill- and temperament-wise)
Starting to pack and getting ready to go home. Hard to believe it's almost over. Even harder to believe that we're packing up directly again and heading to Nice, France for the coming weekend!
Friday, Aug. 8 -- Final Sea Day
More massages, more poker, more bacon.
Today was a little rough (gale force winds, they said) and so we weren't really able to do as much outside as we wanted. We tried to play soccer, but the ball kept being blown away. I tried to sit on the deck by the pool to read, but everytime I sat up, my chair's reclining back blew down. Luckily the kids club kept the kids busy, and the adults had plenty to do, too
I've decided that I probably could live on a cruise ship, so long as I could get access to laundry facilities. It's been a wonderful trip (kudos to T.J. for planning it!). Can't wait for the next one!!
Saturday, Aug. 9 -- Arrival in Dover
Though reluctant to disembark, it was an easy process and our car was right there to load up. We had a nice trip back on the ferry, where a pirate spent the whole ride making swords for the kids from balloons. Amelia kept asking for him to make a zebra. She kept getting swords. Now we're back home, and getting ready for our next trip, to Nice, France.
Tallinn turned out to be a wonderful surprise, much like Dubrovnik on our last trip. I was up early (again) to exchange dollars into Kroon, as we were warned that it was illegal for shop owners to accept foreign currency. We were on our own again today, and after a quick walk from port, we were in the old walled city. We had been on the hunt for a Faberge-type egg in Russia, but hadn't found one we liked. But we found one in Tallinn -- a beautiful blue egg that opens to show one of the Russian orthodox churches (we had been trying to find one with the Spilled Blood Cathedral, and this one -- showing a church in Moscow -- was the closest we came) and is also a music box. One of our favorite souvenirs. And, it figures, they accepted euros for payment. Was this just a scam to exchange money for Kroon at a ripoff rate?
We continued to explore the town, and Amelia and I opted to make a long climb up one of the church's bell towers. I was skeptical, as they said it was over 200 steps. But she was amazing, and made it to the top without any complaints, requests to be held, or rest stops. It was a super-narrow, winding staircase (and it was used both for folks going up and coming down, which made for tight squeezes), but the view was wonderful. (below is the tower we climbed.)
We continued to walk around, and the buildings were very pretty and ornate. In the main square there was a market (hooray!) with lots of sweaters, felted wool items, and other handicrafts. Several stalls had these seasoned roasted almonds that were just wonderful. And, of course, they accepted both dollars and euros. (It was fantastic to be able to use so many dollars on this cruise!) I got the kids these darling homemade horses, after much begging and pleading. They're so cute, I might keep them for myself.
Lunch was a stop at Olde Hansa, a restaurant serving traditional (I suppose) old Estonian food. Like meat soup (see picture for the big hunk of meat) and bear and barley. T.J. declared it the best meal he had all trip. The kids did well, and I ate almonds (too funky of a menu for me, and they didn't even serve Diet Coke).
After lunch we continued to walk around to the upper city, where we got in a game of tag, some ice cream and more souvenir shopping. It was a charming, charming town, and quite a nice way to end the trip.
Thursday, Aug. 7 -- Sea Day
Today was our first sea day heading back to Dover. In 6 days, I think we will change time zones 5 times. It's very confusing for the kids, especially.
The day was pretty uneventful -- just relaxing. I had a massage in the morning; T.J. played in his poker tournament in the afternoon (unfortunately, he didn't win this one). The kids enjoyed the Kids' Club, and I also took them swimming in the afternoon.
We went to one of the main dining rooms for dinner and to celebrate our anniversary a little early. They brought us a cake and sang "Let me call you sweetheart." Both the kids had big grins on their faces and loved the attention.
In the evening, the kids were in the club, going to see a acrobatic/dancing/magic kind of show. T.J. and I peeked in on the show and could see the kids concentrating intently. He and I went up to one of the lounges at the front of the ship so we could see the ship passing under the 2nd largest suspension bridge in the world, connecting Sweeden and Denmark. We got there just as we were approaching the bridge, and also entering a thunderstorm. It looked like we passed under the bridge with not much room to spare, and everyone clapped when we made it under. The lightening was pretty spectacular as well. Afterwards, we headed to the casino, where I got $20 in free slot play (lost it all) and $15 in blackjack play, which I managed to parlay into $100 with T.J.'s help. But as soon as I lost my free $15, I walked away from the table. I'm just not a good gambler (both skill- and temperament-wise)
Starting to pack and getting ready to go home. Hard to believe it's almost over. Even harder to believe that we're packing up directly again and heading to Nice, France for the coming weekend!
Friday, Aug. 8 -- Final Sea Day
More massages, more poker, more bacon.
Today was a little rough (gale force winds, they said) and so we weren't really able to do as much outside as we wanted. We tried to play soccer, but the ball kept being blown away. I tried to sit on the deck by the pool to read, but everytime I sat up, my chair's reclining back blew down. Luckily the kids club kept the kids busy, and the adults had plenty to do, too
I've decided that I probably could live on a cruise ship, so long as I could get access to laundry facilities. It's been a wonderful trip (kudos to T.J. for planning it!). Can't wait for the next one!!
Saturday, Aug. 9 -- Arrival in Dover
Though reluctant to disembark, it was an easy process and our car was right there to load up. We had a nice trip back on the ferry, where a pirate spent the whole ride making swords for the kids from balloons. Amelia kept asking for him to make a zebra. She kept getting swords. Now we're back home, and getting ready for our next trip, to Nice, France.
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