Tuesday
June 12, 2007
St. Petersburg

I slept well and awakened at 5am. The group wandered into the hotel buffet and I met the rest of the riders. Two will arrive on Thursday; otherwise we are all here. Four are missing luggage and we all compared our flight experiences. Several encountered weather delays, missed connections, and re-routing. I feel fortunate to have arrived on time with all my luggage.

The guide and bus arrived at 9:30 to take us on a tour of the city. Once a swamp, then an imperial capital, now a mixture of vanished aristocratic opulence and grimy ruined socialism, St Petersburg is a fascinating city. Located on the Gulf of Finland and laced with rivers and canals, it is accurately known as the “Venice of the North”. The weather is sunny and mild --- but apparently totally unpredictable. The guide says that the general outlook weather-wise is “9 months of anticipation and 3 months of disappointment.” In two of the churches we quietly observed services in progress with beautiful acapella choirs --- a lovely surprise. The churches are opulent with paintings, religious symbols, and sacred items. During Communism, all religion was banned. The restoration of the churches began in 1991. The transformation must be astounding to the Russians. On of the great churches, the Kazan Cathedral reopened after years as the Museum of Atheism.

After we get a general idea of the city, we are on our own. Most of us decide to take the 45-minute hydrofoil trip to Peterhof, Peter the Great’s lavish palace and gardens. He built it to quell his Versailles envy. There was not time to give the palace its due, so I decided to enjoy the extensive gardens and leave the palace for a future visit.

Back in the city we set out for Palace Square, the site of the beginning of the revolution. After a delicious dinner at a small microbrewery we take the metro part way to the hotel and finish the evening by walking the rest of the way on the Neva River. I am surprised when I look at my watch, it is 11:00pm and it is bright daylight. I haven’t seen the dark yet.


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