SAINT-PETERSBURG PART 2

I LEFT YOU at the end of my first day, writing on the day that I arrived in Yekaterinburg, two days later.  It turned out to be an arduous 30 or so hours, as I have already described in my bulletin.  In part this was due to my excellent trip planning, which overlooked this aspect!  I am quite recovered.

The second day in Spb is easy to describe.  I took the river cruise option.  I got this idea from an article I had read while in the park behind the Admiralty Building (trip planning on the fly!) entitled “18 ‘must do’ things in Saint-Petersburg”, while checking my smartphone. How did Google know I was in Spb?  Ah, the wonders of the Internet age!  I met Bazhena at the end of her work day.  As we walked by Admiralty, on the way to the bus stop, a nice chap (Ahmed) caught our attention.  His job was to direct people to booking office so he was very happy, when we retraced our steps (it took a moment or two for me to make the connection with the article) to help us out.  From Syria only two years past, he seemed to be speaking fluent Russian, as my host later confirmed.  He offered us excellent advice that turned out to be much better than that I got when, next morning, I returned to buy a tour.  Thank you Ahmed!

Cruises depart from right out front of the imposing Admiralty building. So the next day I was aboard a cruise that took me around the islands that are part of Spb.  A great trip, whereon was served an excellent cuisine.  A ‘must do’ indeed!  Spb is ancient and modern, with many beautiful buildings old and new, and also an evidently busy seaport with tugs, dry docks, and (of course) cruise ships.

This tour lasted over an hour, so I had plenty of time for more exploring in the vicinity of the Admiralty. How pleasant to return to my now almost accustomed pastime of people watching,in the park.  This area is substantial and very cleverly designed for just sitting and for promenade.  I think I may even have noticed some characters from the previous day!  I had plenty of time to amble over to the Cathedral,

where the parking area was full of tour buses, to take a closer look at the most imposing structure, topped by a golden dome. Golden domes and spires abound in Spb!  Among the crowd, a couple in wedding dress posed for photos.  What a backdrop,,,the entrance doors are huge and magnificent.

Wearied by all this I found my own way home, with vigorous support from Google Maps,  The evening we spent going to a Modern Art opening event, where were many of my hosts’ friends (k\they are both artists), then to the airport bound for Yekaterinburg.  Luckily my hosts got me there in good time as it took me a little while to find the check-in area.  Then I was on the midnight special to Yekaterinburg (hereafter Ykb); as you know, the rest is staying awake history!

I will have three more days in Spb, including the weekend, so I am sure I will have more to share about life in a city where I am sure I would be happy to live.

Next pop,  Ykb; a city one might describe as ‘living down its past’.