St Petersburg

The overnight train from Moscow arrived into St Petersburg at 8:45am and we were met by our final honcho, Kate. After going to our hotel to find that it was not ready, we went and had brunch, which consisted of yet more beetroot!

We took a public bus to Petrodvorets, the "Russian Versailles" - the summer home of Peter the Great, where we spent the day. It was a very grand palace which had an amazing set of gardens with fountains and golden statues. The water from the main fountain leads down into the Gulf of Finland. We followed it down and decided to go paddling in the gulf! We think that we were able to see Finland in the distance!

When in Russia, the ballet is a must and we got tickets to see Swan Lake that night! Thankfully the programme was in English so we had an understanding of the plot but it wasn't needed as it was a magnificent performance. On the way home, we managed to get 6 of us in a taxi (for a reasonable sized tip!)

The next day, we went to The Hermitage, which houses millions of items of art. On the way in, we passed a couple of busking musicians. They asked Steph where she was from and when she said Australia, they burst into the first verse of Waltzing Matilda!

We spent hours in The Hermitage - there was almost too much to see in one day. The architecture of the place was outstanding and there were so many priceless paintings on display.

We headed off for lunch and were taken to a Georgian restaurant on recommendation of our honcho. Needless to say, I won't recommend eating here - they took ages to sort out our food and the delightfully sounding chicken dish came raw!! It was sent straight back!

We then saw the Church of our Saviour on Spilled Blood, which looks pretty similar to St Basil's in Moscow! It was on this spot that Alexander II was blown up by a terrorist group in 1881! Inside, it is covered in mosaics which were amazing!

We headed over to the little Zayachy Island to see the Peter & Paul Fortress. It was here that Peter first broke ground for the city. The fortress is a hexagonal one that was built in 1703. We walked the Nevskaya Panorama and looked back at the city. Along the walk were photographs from a recent competition which were impressive. We didn't stay there too long as it was getting pretty cold and most of us were in shorts! On our way out, we posed for photos by the Peter the Great bronze statue!

As tonight is officially the last night with the group, we headed to Gismat, a local restaurant to have a farewell dinner. It all began fairly tamely but after the alcohol began flowing, things went quickly downhill and involved lap dancing (don't ask!!). This was much to the amusement of the owner who shut the restaurant and we had it to ourselves until the early hours!

We all met for breakfast and said our goodbyes to those who were moving on today, one of which was Kealie who was flying home. It'll be weird tonight without a roommate, especially since Kealie is a very lively person!

Jess, Lee Ann, Georgina, Jo & I headed out to St Issac's Cathedral where you could walk around the base of the dome. We climbed up the 262 narrow steps to the colonnade and took in the 360 degree panoramic view of the city. There is a charge for taking photos up here but we managed a couple, despite a security guard trying his best to bribe us!

We had lunch before doing some souvenir shopping. I was told that I was mad by a stall holder - I was in shorts and flip flops and she had a scarf and gloves on! We stopped for a drink in a nearby cafe and we ordered hot chocolate - only to find that it was basically barely melted chocolate in a cup, and very sweet! The remainder of the group met for dinner that night and I said my final goodbyes to everyone. It was a brilliant group and we all got on very well. Thanks to everyone for the amusing memories!!