St. Petersburg, North-West Russia, Russian Federation
October 09, 2013
After yesterday’s unexpected detour to Estonia I’ve finally made it to Russia……and they actually let me in after a bit of trouble with my immigration card. It got a bit worrying for a while having several surly Russian Border control guards heatedly debating whatever details of mine were displayed on the screen in front of them but eventually I was coldly waved on my way.
Sat with a cuppa in a little cafe getting my head together before trying to find my hostel. I’m feeling very weary now though as I’ve struggled sleeping on the boat the past couple of nights, but hey I need to crack on. First impressions are that St Petersburg looks lovely so plenty of exploring to be had once I’ve got sorted and dropped my bag off. It definitely seems to be getting colder the further I keep moving North so it’s a hat and gloves day for the first time since I left the UK. A lot of the Ruskies must have got off the boat and stayed in Tallinn last night as there was a noticeable difference in the people on board last night with a lot of Japanese tottering around in groups with their usual cameras hanging from their necks. The Japanese are funny like that when they travel, they stand out massively and simply don’t care but they are generally very happy and friendly folk.
Well after trudging the streets of St Petersburg with weary legs and a heavy backpack I finally found my hostel 4 1/2 hours later…..but it was worth it as it’s a cracking place, a proper little home in a cracking location with some nice people….and dare I even say it some friendly Russians for a change! I was ruined when I first got here but a bit food and water has perked me up no end. Its cheap here as well, at least compared to Stockholm, I’m doubtful I’ll have as many drinks bought for me here mind but at these prices I wont complain.
Its felt a bit non-stop this trip so far, but that’s because I’ve needed to get through Europe relatively quickly due to how expensive some of the countries have been. Now though it feels like I can settle into it a bit more and start to slow things down now that I’ve started to hit the cheaper countries. Not much on the cards tonight other than chilling as the old feet need a rest and some serious sleep catch up is required. Got my next day or so planned out now though and I’m really looking forward to getting out and about tomorrow as St Petersburg looks fascinating. It’s a very busy and big city by the look of it and the traffic is the worst I’ve seen since Bangkok but it all seems to work somehow. Amsterdam, Stockholm and Tallinn are all stunning places with their beautiful architecture but this place looks like it’s on a different scale all together as I’ve never seen so many grand and impressive buildings all in one place, it’s literally everywhere you look.
I’m also really looking forward to the Hermitage Museum tomorrow which has over 3 million works of art….3 million! and we are not talking just Tony Hart or Art Attack to make up those numbers…they have works by all the greats, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Degas, Matisse, Picasso….and so on and so on (not sure if all these were all obtained by legitimate means mind!) It has a reputation for being the number one art museum in the world so that should be a real treat. Looks like there is so much to see here with all the museums, cathedrals, palaces etc that I’ll never be able to cram it all in with the time I have, but I’ll certainly give it my best shot.
