Arriving in Russia~~~~~~~

Having transited the busy traffic lanes of the Gulf of Finland, passing in and out of Estonian, Finnish and Russian waters, Queen Victoria embarked the Russian pilots early morning and began the long pilotage into St. Petersburg. Arriving at 7 AM and with two overnights in port ahead, excitement was in the air. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, it was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years, until the Russian Revolution of 1917. Peter's choice of site, though impractical in most respects, created one of Europe's most beautiful cities, a glittering court, and a great artistic heritage. The 1917 Revolution, the siege during WWII, and the collapse of soviet communism have each made their mark on the city.  Despite St. Petersburg's architectural and artistic glories, it is however not just a museum but a flourishing city.

It's impossible to share everything we saw in this amazing city, second largest in Russia,  Europe's fourth largest city after Moscow, Paris and London, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We booked a guided tour ahead of our cruise and, unless you plan to stay longer, it's the best way to go requiring no expensive individual Russian visa. Believe me, we must have had the best guide in St. Petersburg. Luba, a university professor, is so obviously in love with her adopted city (she was originally from a small Siberian town), and knew everything of the history which she shared in such a graceful way, and in perfect English, all of which made for two awesome days.

The weather cooperated for the most part - a little cloudy the first day whilst we were in the heart of the city, beautiful warm sunshine the next when we took boats trips on the river and out to Peterhof by hydrofoil.

So here goes ~ first pics of day one.

Crossing the Neva River - note horses in the ironwork of the bridge - St. Isaac's Cathedral dome.

The Hermitage - The Winter Palace

Our early entry into The Hermitage (guide Luba holding the tour sign) enabled us to escape 

the huge crowds coming later.

Housed in the stunning Winter Palace, The Hermitage Museum displays a fabulous
collection of art treasures and paintings from all over the world - in fact so
extensive a tourist can only glimpse a fraction of the 12 miles of corridors and exhibits.

Catherine the Great's Peacock Clock

A wee bit of chic but definitely not too shabby in it's heyday.

All this was just the beginning………and I believe we all shared the same thought after viewing 

such amazing palaces and their priceless contents, 'no wonder there was a revolution'.