St Petersburg, Russia

05.10.11 - So, the journey home has begun. After almost 5 years living and working in London, we have decided it’s time to head home. The keys to the flat have been handed back, the boxes have been shipped (slightly more than the 1 backpack each we came over with….but oh well!) and the travel adventures have begun.

We’ve already managed 2 weeks in Cuba, a road trip around Europe and an amazing 6 week trip through Africa – but I’m sure the next four months hold plenty more adventures.

And so, it’s with some sadness, but mainly excitement for the trip ahead that we left London behind and flew to St Petersburg, Russia. After arriving, we caught the bus & metro into town and found our hotel (5th Corner Hotel – St Petersburg) – clean, well located and with a free breakfast thrown in – no complaints here!! Off to bed that evening after dinner close by – plenty of time to do things tomorrow.

06.10.11 - After breakfast, we wandered down to the famous Nevsky Prospect, the main street and hub of activity in St Petersburg. The next day happened to be the first Thursday of the month, which in St Petersburg means free entry to The Hermitage – one of the most famous art galleries in the world. After spending the morning with Da Vinci and Rembrant we took a walk down the riverbank and ended up at ‘Idiot’, a café/restaurant famous for their food. Sampling the pelmini, caviar and roasted aubergines – we concurred their write up in our guide book was well deserved.

We wandered back through past St Isaacs Cathedral, and back to the main train station to try purchase tickets for the next legs of our journey. After being brushed away from several windows (common in Russia) – we eventually ended up with a helpful young girl who spoke basic English, and was able to sort us out with our next two legs – St Petersburg to Moscow and Moscow to Yekaterinburg. Fantastic.

07.10.11 - The next day we made our way down to the Church of Spilled Blood, one of the most photographed churches in Russia. Spiral domes covered in coloured tiles and gold, it is modelled on St Basil’s in Moscow and definitely a photographers nightmare as you try to get the perfect shot while dancing around the tourists, all while waiting for the sunshine to through the clouds and make the perfect shot. Oh well, we think we did okay!

Afterwards, we made our way across the river to the Peter and Paul fortress, originally built as a defence against invading Swedes, but never actually used and eventually converted into a prison. There was some traditional dancing in full costume around the church in the late afternoon. We have no idea what it was for, or if it’s there all the time – but it was amusing to watch all the same.

08.10.11 - Our last day in St Petersburg and we spent it just wandering. We went to the Lion Bridge, Mariinsky Theatre, Central Market area and lastly a bit of shopping in the central mall. Stupidly, I didn’t pack a beanie or proper gloves (despite shipping at least 2 of each I’m sure!!) so we ducked in for some retail therapy. As our train didn’t leave until midnight, we then went and played some pool and had dinner before grabbing our bags and making our way to the train station. 8 hours later, a luxury train complete with dinner box, slippers and a toothbrush, and we arrived in Moscow!