St Petersburg Day 2

St Petersburg - Day 2

Our meeting time was 7.45am so we were not in so much of a rush although we still had to go through immigration again. Thankfully the process was not as long as the first day as all our details had been recorded on their computers but still required a face to face. We also needed another face to face each time we got back onto the ship so another queue!

We were early to the meeting point so spent the time looking at the shops. There has been no time at all on this holiday to shop!! I have to keep reminding myself that we are decluttering!!

Dina arrived on time to pick us up and off we set again for another day full of action although not as much walking as the first day so Dina promised.

The first activity was a leisurely boat ride along the rivers and canals. The sun was out and it was very relaxing. There were a lot of naval ships and submarines in the river for a naval parade the following weekend.

We then spent the rest of the morning touring the Hermitage Museum with Dina as our guide. Our tickets allowed us an early entrance before the official opening time which was great as we also got to bypass the very long queue that was forming at the ticket box!

Dina new all the shortcuts and we went from one room to the next without really sharing the exhibits with anyone else. Certainly the best way to see it! Lots of paintings from very famous artists on display.

Another traditional Russian lunch was next on the agenda. This time we ate in the basement of Yusupov Palace.

After lunch we were booked on a guided tour through the Palace which was very interesting.

Our day was coming to an end and our energy and concentration levels were waning.... The last item on our agenda was a guided tour inside St Isaac Cathedral.

We were dropped back at the ship by 5pm which left 30 minutes of shopping time before all aboard at 5.30pm. I managed to buy a hand painted lacquered paper mâché box which I had been eyeing off for a while now.

Day 3 of 5 port days... 2 to go!

Next stop is Helsinki....

Quick facts:

Founded: officially made a city by Peter the Great on May 27, 1703. It was Russia's imperial capital from 1713 to 1918.

Region: west most city of Russia. The River Neva runs through the metropolis and empties into the eastern tip of the Baltic Sea

Population: 4,879,566 (2012)

Language: Russian

Currency: Russian Ruble