A government building
Our very modern citified hotel
This nose was on a building near the hotel. I know that Mina told us all about it but alas, I don't remember. However, it was an excellent landmark for finding our way home.
Rural house in the Russian countryside.
Pretty average buidling in St. Petersburg
Day 13 – Tallinn Estonia to St. Petersburg
We drove by bus to Tallinn to St. Petersburg. It was a long drive but pretty uneventful despite our worries about crossing the border which is famous for taking many hours as the guards sometimes go through all the luggage. Our great guide, Mina, told us that sometimes a little $$ to the lead guard takes care of this. This was apparently the case today as we got through in less than 30 minutes.
Driving through the rural countryside was interesting and we saw small houses with well-tended gardens in the little villages.
We arrived in St. Pete’s and all of us gasped at our first views of this magnificent city. It is called “The Venice of the North” for good reason. It has many rivers and canals running through it. The architecture is similar to Paris but on a bigger scale and its buildings are many beautiful colors. Apparently at some point it has lost its luster and was gray and in poor repair. It is now quite restored and is without a doubt the most beautiful city I have ever seen.
We found our hotel and Mina took us on a short “orientation” walk. The group had dinner at a nearby restaurant and we were given the “Russian National Drink” – shots of vodka. Actually quite tasty. Michael collected they ones that others in our group didn’t want.
After dinner, Mike & Judy & I went for a walk along a canal by the hotel in a pretty heavy rainstorm. The wind picked up and my brand new umbrella turned inside out and the wire fasteners broke. It went into the trash can.
We drove by bus to Tallinn to St. Petersburg. It was a long drive but pretty uneventful despite our worries about crossing the border which is famous for taking many hours as the guards sometimes go through all the luggage. Our great guide, Mina, told us that sometimes a little $$ to the lead guard takes care of this. This was apparently the case today as we got through in less than 30 minutes.
Driving through the rural countryside was interesting and we saw small houses with well-tended gardens in the little villages.
We arrived in St. Pete’s and all of us gasped at our first views of this magnificent city. It is called “The Venice of the North” for good reason. It has many rivers and canals running through it. The architecture is similar to Paris but on a bigger scale and its buildings are many beautiful colors. Apparently at some point it has lost its luster and was gray and in poor repair. It is now quite restored and is without a doubt the most beautiful city I have ever seen.
We found our hotel and Mina took us on a short “orientation” walk. The group had dinner at a nearby restaurant and we were given the “Russian National Drink” – shots of vodka. Actually quite tasty. Michael collected they ones that others in our group didn’t want.
After dinner, Mike & Judy & I went for a walk along a canal by the hotel in a pretty heavy rainstorm. The wind picked up and my brand new umbrella turned inside out and the wire fasteners broke. It went into the trash can.
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