Saint Petersberg

Well- we've made it to Saint Petersberg.

The city is just over 300 years old. While it suffered terrible destruction in the 41-45 War, it has been largely reconstructed or restored in the same style. This means that the city is largely of 19th century design, with no building taller than the spire of Sts Peter & Paul Cathedral. This makes for a beautiful city.

The city is built on islands in the delta of the Neva River. The river is quite wide, but there are also a number of smaller canals that make attractive views ("the Venice of the North?").

We have toured the city to check the buldings and sights. We walked through the Peter & Paul Fortress and Saint Nicholas Cathedral (which has continuously been a working church).

We have toured the Hermitage - a museum on a vast scale, the buildings themselves are treasures, being based on the Winter Palace of the Tsars and their adjacent private galleries. The contents are outstanding, but far too expansive to see in any sensible time. The paintings alone represent an extremely impressive and extensive collection from old masters to post-impressionists.

We went out to Pushkin, the site of the Catherine Palace, This was one of the summer palaces of the Tsars, which includes the magnificent (rebuilt) Amber Room. This is a room lined with worked amber! The rest of the palace is very impressive, set in beautiful gardens and built in a roccoco style (mainly by Elizabeth and later Catherine the Great), with much use of plaster scrolls and gilding.

We have had big doses of culture. On our first night we went to the Mariinskiy Theatre (once called the Kirov) to see Madame Butterfly. A great production with excellent staging and singing. The following night to the same location for Swan Lake. This was a magic performance, with a big corps d'ballet and a big orchestra. Sublime music and great dancing.

Our hotel is small, comprising two floors in a converted older apartment building. It is very comfortable and well located.

Today is the end of our Sundowners tour and we have been saying farewell to our companions of the past three weeks. We feel a little alone now.....