I’ve made it! Here I am in St Petersburg and we’ve been blessed with glorious weather again.
With a full day off work, (I am working at 6pm but in Youthie terms, this is a day off!) I’ve booked onto a tour called Peter and Paul Fortress and Boat Cruise. The description describes it as ‘romantic’ and ‘the best way to see the sights of St Petersburg’. As an tour escort, it’s my duty to check that the tours are running accordingly.
As I left the port, there was Russia’s version of ‘The Shard’ and the football stadium that England played in in the 2018 World Cup. A couple more hundred meters in were fairly run-down apartment blocks. Surely there was more to Russia than this?! We drove for another 15 minutes. I was not disappointed…
The main city of St Petersburg was stunning. Row after row of historical buildings filled with culture and heritage. They were grand and spectacular.
The first stop of the tour was to Peter the Great’s fortress. As we entered the fortress, the main cathedral stood powerfully in the centre with a beaming, gold spire at the top. I was already in awe.
Inside it was filled with gold leaf – floor to celling. The statues were breath taking and it felt like a place of great importance.
Our next stop was to a little gift shop. It included all of the standard things you’d associate with Russia: vodka, hats and dolls. I bought myself a few mementoes of course and had a shot of vodka. One must treat themselves on a working holiday!
Finally it was time for the boat cruise which took us on an open-air water ride of St Petersburg down the Neva River. The ride was complimented by bold, beautiful buildings and a glass of champs! I’m struggling to find the words of how beautiful it was. I’ll upload some pictures for you to see.
St Petersburg has definitely been the highlight of my cruise so far.
Ready for day two tomorrow where I’ll be visiting The Hermitage – the world‘s largest art gallery for Western European art.
The View From the Window 