Russia Baltic Danube Cruise - Maher Escorted Tour 2019

Today is going to be a long day in the bus, transitioning from Russia to Estonia, accompanied by Anastasia. We are warned that crossing the border may take up to three hours.  We set off, along the “fishbone highway” which was built with the help of the Turkish and so named because the giant arches overhead resemble fish bones.    The countryside passes us by out the window; there are fields and houses of all shapes and sizes. A morning comfort stop is made at a roadside cafe. There is only one loo so it takes a while for us all to do our business. We buy ice creams and snacks. I get a fresh homemade egg & spring onion pasty thing like I had at Peterhof. It’s delicious. The Russian ice cream - whether freshly scooped into a waffle cone or purchased from a deep freezer - is delicious and cheap; we’ve had a few along the way. The man behind the counter is amused by us - and also had a profitable morning. Here we are at the border. There are several stages to en...

This morning we set off for Peterhof Palace with its beautiful fountains and gardens.  We pass Constantine Palace, summer residence of the Russian President. It has become known as “Putinhof”. Nearby is the one and only golf course in the city; it is open for a mere three months of the year, due to the weather. Golf is obviously not the most popular pastime here! In summer it’s light enough that you could still be out there playing at 10pm. At Peterhof Palace we enter the gardens and take our position near the cascading fountains which will start up at precisely 11 o’clock. There are throngs of people but it’s not overcrowded; there is plenty of space for everyone and the weather is ideal. There’s a team of cleaners busy giving the gold statues and fountain facades a final polish, taking great pride in their work.  We wait with anticipation and cameras at the ready; at 11am the national anthem booms through the speakers and the fountains burst into life. It’s quite a ...

Here’s a selection of more photos from St Petersburg, Russia.  

I’m a bit behind but final St Petersburg write up coming soon. Also Baltic states overview - what a special and intriguing part of this world. Currently in Mazurian Lake District, Poland. There are 2,600 lakes in this area. Here is a selection of photos of my lovely group in Moscow. More travel tales to come soon ...

After breakfast we walk a short distance to St Isaacs Cathedral with its giant marble pillars and earthy colour tones. Inside there are more lighting wonders as well as models of how the pillars were erected and dome constructed. Astounding. Next we stop briefly at a souvenir shop where we are offered tea, coffee or vodka shots. The latter is most popular. Down the hatch in one gulp is the way to do it, but gentle sips is all I can handle. Neat vodka at midday is not really my thing, but when in Russia ... It warms the throat that’s for sure. There’s some nice stuff here and people purchase mementos. Then it’s time to head to the Winter Palace. The Hermitage. It’s a lovely shade of turquoise and occupies a large slab of land in the centre of the city, next to Palace Square with Alexander Column and the Triumphal Arch. Again, more scaffolding here; it’s hard to find an old building without it. There is the obligatory queue. We join it. The sun beats down, hats go on and umbrellas...

We’re up at the crack of dawn this morning, checked out and on the bus by 5.30am with our boxed breakfast - our third Metropol morning dining experience. The sky is already blue, and it’s going to be a fine day. At the busy train station we thank and farewell Kirill and our driver Alexander and take our Business Class seats in Coach 2 of the high speed Sapsan train. Train is the most economical and convenient way to travel between the two cities (it’s a long slog by road) and our journey will take four hours. The Doubledecker overnight train has just arrived from St Petersburg at the next door platform after an 8-hour journey - through the windows we can see small sleeping berths with disheveled beds which don’t look too comfortable. We settle in to our very comfortable seats and depart for St Petersburg at 7am. As Helen and Valerie are unfortunately no longer with us, I had cancelled their seats, which have been snapped up by a young Asian lad and a strapping Russian who sit in ...

This morning we eat breakfast in a different dining hall - the main one is being used for a large wedding. Russian weddings are huge affairs, usually covering two days or more. Family and friends come from far and wide. No expense is spared. Preparations are made, music is played, performances take place, speeches are long - and presumably a lot of Vodka is consumed along with good food. Arguments are apparently not uncommon. The divorce rate, Kirill tells us, is 80%.  The breakfast selection for us today isn’t quite so extensive but the harpist plays on and it’s delicious regardless. Some enjoy a champagne breakfast, why not!? We meet Kirill in the lobby and set off in the bus for another day’s sightseeing. We see the Kremlin from all angles and cross the river several times. We see tenement blocks, older and more recent. They look like many in Auckland, boring and box-like, except the ones here were double glazed and insulated back in the Soviet days - Stalin wanted people...