Part 2
St. Petersburg was our next
stop. The Russians require all Americans
to have a visa or to be part of a tour. Since
we had only booked our cruise two weeks in advance, we were unable to get a
visa or to arrange an independent tour. So, in order to get off the ship and see St. Petersburg, we needed to
book a cruise excursion. Happily both of
our tours were great.
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| St. Petersburg on the Neve River |
The first day we took a tour
to Catherine’s Palace and around St. Petersburg. Our tour guide, Victoria, offered an
excellent commentary. Catherine’s Palace
was exquisite and opulent.
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| Catherine Palace |
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| Catherine Palace |
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| Catherine Palace |
After the Palace we returned
to St. Petersburg for lunch and a trip to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest
church in St. Petersburg and the Peter and Paul Fortress, built during the
reign of Peter the Great in 1703 to protect Peter’s new capital from the
Swedes.
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| St. Issac's Cathedral: St. Petersburg's largest church |
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| Outside Peter and Paul Fortress |
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Wedding party visiting Peter and Paul Fortress: It is customary for the wedding parties to
visit tourist sites in the city and have their pictures taken |
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| With Peter the Great |
The last stop was the Church
of the Spilled Blood, the name given to the location where Alexander II was
mortally wounded. His father, Alexander
I had the church constructed in his son’s memory.
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| The Church of the Spilled Blood |
Our second day was the 303rd
anniversary of the city of St. Petersburg.
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| Stock Exchange with Rostral towers lit for St. Petersburg's birthday celebration |
We spent four hours walking all over the Hermitage, one of the most
famous museums in the world. Not only is
the Hermitage an impressive museum with over 3 million exhibits but it was the
Winter Palace of Peter the Great and his daughter Elizabeth. The Hermitage was even more magnificent than
I imagined.
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| The Hermitage |
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| Venetian mosaic |
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| Rembrandt: Young Woman with Earring 1654 |
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| Raphael: The Holy Family or Joseph without a Beard |
I still can’t believe I
actually visited Russia. Most of the time it felt like we were in any other country.
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| Fashion: St. Petersburg style |
My only inkling
of isolation was the “no man’s land” located just inside the port. As you enter the port you can see cars and
people lining the chain link fence.
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| "No Man's Land" |
According to our guide, the port guards are looking for terrorists. I think they are actually there looking for
defectors. I left Russia feeling glad
that I was born in the United States.
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| Estonia flag |
The next day we docked in
Tallinn, Estonia. Our ship pulled into
port early affording us a little time to enjoy the city without hordes of other
tourists. It is a lovely medieval town
with easy access from the port. The city
has been declared a World Heritage site.
We walked around the old town delighted by the colorful medieval
buildings and friendly people.
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| Tallinn road |
Then it was another sea day
to relax and eat (yes, one of the liabilities of cruising) and our last stop,
Copenhagen. Once again we arrived early
and walked. This was our first inclement
day though happily, it only sprinkled briefly.
We have been so blessed by good weather on our travels!
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| Tallinn shopkeeper |
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| Tallinn church: St. Olaf's Church |
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| Tallinn, Estonia |
Our last port was Copenhagen. Once again our time in Copenhagen was
limited but we managed to see quite a few sites.
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| The Little Mermaid |
Of course we saw the Little
Mermaid, Nyhavn canal and Trivoli but we also visited the Marble Church, the Town
Hall, King’s Gardens, the Botanical Gardens, the Amalienborg Museum,
Christiansborg Palace and the Danish Resistance Museum. I was disappointed we didn’t have time for
the Danish Design Museum and the National Museum but now I have a great excuse
to return.
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| King's Gardens in Copenhagen |
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| Copenhagen Town Hall |
Copenhagen is charming but
expensive. We also peeked into Georg
Jensen and walked down Stroget and Frederiksberggade. Judging by the prices, the Denmark’s kroner
is financially sound.
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| Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen |
Tomorrow we end our cruise in
Amsterdam where we boarded 13 days ago.
It has been a wonderful cruise.
We head to Iceland Friday evening and back to Boston on Saturday
night. Then we will take six weeks to
drive back to Washington.
Thank you for taking the time
to read my blog. I hope you have been
inspired to step out into our world. I
can’t wait until our next adventure!
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