The kids were all wound up last night and it was very tough to get them to lay down for bed. Also, we had to set the clock ahead one hour (again). As a result, we didn’t get to sleep until around 1am local time and we had to get up at 6:30am to start getting ready for first day in Russia! The local time is now 8 hours ahead of our home time zone (Eastern). As I write this, it is late afternoon (4pm), but I know you all are just starting your day back home (8am).
We managed to get everybody going this morning, had breakfast in the room, and met up with the rest of the family on deck 4 at 8am before heading off the ship. Unlike other ports, we had to pass through customs after getting off the boat. It was a pretty simple process and now we have Russian stamps in our passports! The weather was beautiful today with clear skies, sunshine, around 70 degrees.
Our tour today was a private van from 8:30 – 12:30 --2 vans for our entire group. The itinerary is flexible as long as we start & end on time. Cruise ship passengers must be with an official “tour” at all times unless we have secured a special Russian visa in advance (we did not). This means that we must get back on the ship and stay there after our tour is over. By then, we were ready for lunch and a nap, so that was OK with us.
Our first stop today was for a scenic photo-op near the river, where we managed to get a group photo with all 15 of us. Next, we visited a beautiful l square for a photo-op near St. Isaac’s Cathedral. There was a big gift shop there and we picked up a few Russian souveniers and made a “comfort stop” (bathroom break). Our next stop was the beautiful Church of Spilled Blood with it’s colorful spires and stunning mosaic artwork. We enjoyed a tour of the interior and then took a few photos outside. Next, we went to the Peter and Paul Fortress, walked around the grounds, and toured another cathedral. In between stops, the van gave us a “panoramic” (driving) tour of the city and our guide narrated the sites of interest.
By noon, we were all getting tired and the kids were starting to get cranky and act up. Luckily, it was time to head back to the ship. We got back right on time, had lunch on the boat, and laid down for a much-needed nap. Now, the kids are watching a movie on TV while I update my journal a bit early tonight.
We enjoyed our dinner at Chop’s so much before, we decided to do it again this evening. We’ll take the kids up for an early dinner at 6pm and then drop them off at the club, while we dine at the adults-only restaurant at 7pm. I usually update my journal after dinner, but maybe tonight I will go to the casino or take in a show.
The plan for tomorrow is to be in a van again with the same tour guide. Initially, he was going to take us to the Hermitage art museum for several hours, but we are going to modify that plan since the kids will probably not do well in there for so long. Our guide had some other ideas of places to go with some areas for the kids to get out and run if the weather is nice again. Also, Dad would very much like to eat at a traditional Russian restaurant for lunch, so we will try to work that in before we head back to the ship tomorrow.
We managed to get everybody going this morning, had breakfast in the room, and met up with the rest of the family on deck 4 at 8am before heading off the ship. Unlike other ports, we had to pass through customs after getting off the boat. It was a pretty simple process and now we have Russian stamps in our passports! The weather was beautiful today with clear skies, sunshine, around 70 degrees.
Our tour today was a private van from 8:30 – 12:30 --2 vans for our entire group. The itinerary is flexible as long as we start & end on time. Cruise ship passengers must be with an official “tour” at all times unless we have secured a special Russian visa in advance (we did not). This means that we must get back on the ship and stay there after our tour is over. By then, we were ready for lunch and a nap, so that was OK with us.
Our first stop today was for a scenic photo-op near the river, where we managed to get a group photo with all 15 of us. Next, we visited a beautiful l square for a photo-op near St. Isaac’s Cathedral. There was a big gift shop there and we picked up a few Russian souveniers and made a “comfort stop” (bathroom break). Our next stop was the beautiful Church of Spilled Blood with it’s colorful spires and stunning mosaic artwork. We enjoyed a tour of the interior and then took a few photos outside. Next, we went to the Peter and Paul Fortress, walked around the grounds, and toured another cathedral. In between stops, the van gave us a “panoramic” (driving) tour of the city and our guide narrated the sites of interest.
By noon, we were all getting tired and the kids were starting to get cranky and act up. Luckily, it was time to head back to the ship. We got back right on time, had lunch on the boat, and laid down for a much-needed nap. Now, the kids are watching a movie on TV while I update my journal a bit early tonight.
We enjoyed our dinner at Chop’s so much before, we decided to do it again this evening. We’ll take the kids up for an early dinner at 6pm and then drop them off at the club, while we dine at the adults-only restaurant at 7pm. I usually update my journal after dinner, but maybe tonight I will go to the casino or take in a show.
The plan for tomorrow is to be in a van again with the same tour guide. Initially, he was going to take us to the Hermitage art museum for several hours, but we are going to modify that plan since the kids will probably not do well in there for so long. Our guide had some other ideas of places to go with some areas for the kids to get out and run if the weather is nice again. Also, Dad would very much like to eat at a traditional Russian restaurant for lunch, so we will try to work that in before we head back to the ship tomorrow.
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