We just docked about an hour ago. The weather is gloomy – we had signed up for the “Helsinki by Bicycle” excursion, but it was cancelled yesterday due to expected inclement weather, so we are just going to take the bus’ shuttle into the center of town & explore on our own.

St. Petersburg was just awesome – we had three days of all day touring with Red October in private vans. The first day we did some drive by and photo-stop sightseeing, then toured Peterof Palace, then a number of churches and of course a few stops for opportunities to buy Russian nesting dolls, etc.

Second day we had an “insider’s” tour of St. Petersburg in the morning – took the subway to multiple stops – they spent a ton of money on their subway stations in the 50’s – marble pillars, lots of elaborate detailing, historical lessons carved into the walls, statues – quite interesting. Then we went to an upscale grocery store, strolled some streets with lots of sidewalk cafes & finally had the obligatory “shopping stop” at a flea/souvenir market outside the Church of teh Spilled Blood. Went back to the ship for lunch, then we toured the Hermitage theater – we were supposed to have a backstage tour, but that couldn’t happen due to some problem, so we spent an hour seeing some highlights of the Hermitage Museum and then had a private tour of the Yusopov Palace, where Rasputin was murdered.

Yesterday we departed early for a tour of Catherine’s Palace and then spent the afternoon in the Hermitage Museum. The wealth of the czars was just amazing – no wonder they had a revolution!

St. Petersburg totally exceeded my expectations – I expected sort of a depressing city with remnants of the Soviet Union everywhere, but it is quite lovely – you could be in almost any large European city. Nice parks, wide boulevards, sidewalk cafes, lots of restoration accomplished or in progress. Three days really isn’t enough - you definitely need more time – perhaps at least five days.

We were docked in a cargo port, about a half hour drive into the center. It might be better on this itinerary to either take a smaller ship which can dock close to the center of town and the major sightseeing highlights. The Silverseas ship was docked in a location where it looked like you could walk to the Hermitage and some other major sights. The Navigator is doing this itinerary next year – Ngaire thinks it will dock in town.

The one thing I wished we had gotten more of from our guide was personal social commentary. The guide we had 2 of the 3 days would describe some events as happening during “the Socialist regime” as if that had been some brief period in their past. I asked her if her life had changed during the Putin vs. Yeltsin years, and she dodged that by saying that Putin was good for St. Petersburg since he was allotting more money to development and restoration in the city. Not sure how old she was, maybe mid to late 30’s.

Ngaire had her cocktail party last night - Denise, Ginny and I had our photo taken with Dag - ladies you can look forward to seeing that soon!

Off to sightseeing!

---
Leslie

Thanks for keeping us updated, Leslie!! :)

Masaki

Leslie, Great to hear your perspective of St. Petersburg. Sounds like 3 busy but exciting days. Sorry you couldn't dock in town. It was a much prettier scene (even though we did have the trash ship right outside our balcony last month). We also found the guides skirted the issue of Soviet control. I think they were a little more open when we visited in 93.

Can't wait for you all to come home and share lots more stories with us. Enjoy your final days on the Voyager.

Leslie - Thanks so much for writing! I am glad you enjoyed St. Petersburg. Were the cottonwood trees blowing off a lot of fuzz while you were there (we went the beginning of July)?

We had a similar experience with our Red October guide. The first one was very careful not to comment about much in her life; the other one on the third day was very forthcoming. We want to go back (after we've seen a few more places first) and spend some time on the ground.

Aren't Ngaire and Ken the best at getting the St. Petersburg & cruise arrangements made? Traveling with them on that particular itinerary really made it special. That's also where we met Peggy & Jerry and Mary Ellen & Jim. Can't wait to see all of them again in Africa.

Cheers, Anne

Hi



(Marcie, Priscilla, etc...please post. Keith, Martin, please share).



Some more free down time for us, as Helskinki greeted us with winds and intermittent rain. However, this didn’t deter us from a tour of the city, and visits to the outdoor market and Rock Church for a brief concert. Helsinki is a beautiful city that we hope to re-visit when we go through our list of places to see.



The crowning jewel of our cruise was our visit to Moscow. Our day began very early – 7:15AM. There were approx. 62 people on this excursion. Everyone was as excited as we were to experience this incredible city. We were split into two groups. We were police escorted from the Voyager to the small airport in St. Petersburg. The flight took an hour and was uneventful. We were shuffled from the Moscow airport to meet with our tour guide, Tania and our driver, Alexander.



I won’t get into tremendous detail, as time will not allow. I will say that Moscow was a sight to behold and not what we expected. It’s not what I would consider a beautiful city. It was a teaming city; at first glance, much like downtown NYC. The traffic is horrendous. This is a real understatement. The drivers are the worst; not giving way to anything whatsoever. Parking is pretty much any place you can find to “plant” your car – and that includes the sidewalks (the same goes for St. Petersburg). As you drive further through Moscow, you come to realize that you ARE in Moscow and NOT in a city such as NY. The golden domes and spires jut out, validating that you are in Russia, seeing sights that you’ve only witnessed on TV and never dreamt you would ever be able to visit in your lifetime.



Our first stop was the Kremlin and a tour of the Armoury. We could have spent days in the Armoury. The wealth and richness of what we viewed was mind-boggling. Fabarge eggs, attire, jewels, carriages, armour, gold and silver pieces, swords, religious artifacts, and so on is a living and preserved testimony to periods of Russian grandeur and extravagance.



We dined at Café Pushkin. Lovely restaurant and one of the finest in Moscow. We had heard, prior to our cruise, of people experiencing some “tummy problems.” We, therefore, were selective in our dining. A very good lunch.



Lots more touring (too much to really get into), with our final destination Red Square and the magnificent view of St. Basil’s. The sight of St. Basil’s will leave on breathless.



So much to see in so short a space of time. All made to come alive for us through our guide, Tania. Tania is a 68 year old woman. She has lived through so much history and change. From the moment we met her until we kissed her goodbye at the airport, she never ceased to share the history of Moscow, history of Russia, political and social commentary, everyday life in Russia, what the past was like, and what kind of future the people of her city were hoping for. Her passion, humor and love of her city and country were apparent with each word she uttered. She made Moscow come alive for us in a way that we never dreamed possible. She was by far the best guide we’ve ever toured with.



Our drive back to Moscow Airport was harrowing. The drivers never yield to the police instructions to move out of the way and are downright defiant. In fact, one small car intentionally cut our bus off and we came within inches of plowing into him. Another driver came to a dead stop in front of us and gave both the police and our driver the “Moscow Salute!” The police were giving defiant drivers the finger! It was the ultimate E ticket on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. All of us were gasping and laughing at the same time.



We boarded our flight back to St. Petersburg. About halfway through the flight, a woman I had become friends with during the tour got up to ask the flight attendants how much longer it would take for us to arrive back in St. Petersburg. She was told that there was a huge electrical storm in areas of St. Petersburg and pilot feared we might not be able to land there. We might have to turn the plane around and go back to Moscow for the evening rather than attempt to land! Those of us who knew about this held our breathes as we safely landed.



Our day was one grand experience after another that will last a lifetime in our memories of this trip. For anyone planning a trip to the Baltics, I STRONGLY urge to you visit this city, if only for a day. You will never forget this day and what you learned and experienced.



There you have it in a very large nutshell. I’m sure there will be more thoughts and impressions to share once we return. However, I wanted to give you a good installment of our trip.



I have our Moscow guide, Tania’s phone number. She does not have email, unfortunately. For anyone planning a trip, it would be well worth the investment in a phone call to arrange her services. She made this trip for us!



I guess I need to get off this thing now. Lots to do in the next two days on Voyager and it’s now trivia time.



Take care!


DENISE

Hi Denise and Leslie,

Thank you so much for taking the time to post about what's going on!

Denise,

I didn't go to Moscow on my Baltics cruise and your description made me want to go back. I think I would sign up for it if only for experiencing that harrowing drive to the Moscow airport ;) !

Enjoy the last 2 days aboard Voyager and the rest of your trip!

Denise - what a wonderful day and thanks for the the thrilling description. Tania sounds like a gem. So glad it worked out even better than you expected! The price of the excursion looks so steep that it's hard to justify going, isn't it? I think it's among the best things we've done thanks to Radisson. I join you in encouraging anyone who can do it to take the Moscow excursion. It added tremendously to my experience of St. Petersburg.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and have a safe journey home! Cheers, Anne

Denise, thank you for taking the time to post. I can't wait to return and follow your lead.

Leslie, St. Petersburg sounds just amazing! Thanks so much for keeping us informed. I've thought so much about you BRAVOers this week, and it's good to hear that the trip is living up to expectations.

Denise, I popped over here to post your message and see that Joanna has done it already. You've gots lots of people watching out for you! Needless to say (though I am), I'm thrilled to hear your enthusiastic report on your day in Moscow, which given your loving memories of your Russian grandmother was probably the city you were anticipating with the most eagerness. I can't imagine seeing the Kremlin and standing in Red Square with the view of St. Basil's we grew up watching over and over on TV.

Continue on with a great time these last few days!

Leslie, St Petersburg is truly an amazing city. I am so glad you had a good experience.

Denise, thanks for the update on Moscow. It was also a highlight of our trip - well worth the price, traffic, and travel.

Relax and enjoy the rest of your trip!
Miriam

Denise and Leslie -
WOW! I am speechless. It all sounds so amazing! A little exhausting maybe, but absolutely amazing. Thank you for such detailed reports. Enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Denise--so glad you're having a wonderful time. Moscow was the highlight of our trip also-- worth every penny and every minute on the noisy Russian plane. I often tell the story about the flight attendant on our flight. She spoke in Russian over the P/A for at least three minutes (presumably the typical flight attendant spiel before takeoff). After the Russian version here's what she said in English: "Ladies and Gentlemen, fasten your seat belts". That's it. We wondered the whole trip what we missed from the "Russian" version. But despite that we loved Moscow and would love to go back.

This cruise is the only one I would really like to repeat. Did not get to Moscow because we only had 2 days in St Petersburg - but next time - Moscow, here I come.
Do they use Aeorflot planes?

Our flight was a charter airline--not Aeroflot. The plane was a Russian-made Tupolov (or something like that)--it was similar to a Boeing 737, but it rattled a lot more . :D

Hi Denise,

I am so glad you had your day in Moscow. It sounds just as wonderful and exciting as ours was. Luckily we didn't have the rain storm. It definitely is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Sounds like Tania was a gem. So glad you had her. Please, please tell us more later. Enjoy Amsterdam and arrive home safely.

Thanks for the post Leslie, keep them coming!

Leslie & Denise,
Thanks for the wonderful sea mails!!

Leslie and Denise,

Sounds like an amazing trip. Glad you're all having such a great time. Have a safe (and delay-free) trip home. :)

Kathy

Hi One and All

Thanks Marcie, Joanna and Priscilla for helping with my posts.

Taking a few minutes to post, before we go off to the Chocoholic Tea (Alan's favorite).

So glad I was able to share. More to come when we return.

We arrived in Visby this morning. Sunny and beautiful weather greeted us. Alan and I took the Rugged Coast of Gotland 4 hour excursion. It was wonderful. We saw many Medievel churches and structures and drove along the magnificent and tranquil coast, making stops along the way to walk on the beaches. We then did a walking tour of the Medievel town. We were fortunate enough to see the Medievel Festival while there. Everyone was dressed in period clothes. Lots of handicrafts, foods, dancing and music. We lucked out seeing this as part of the whole experience.

Viby is beautiful. It's unfortunate that we had to return back to the ship by 2:30. We could have easily spent several more hours wandering this tranquil town.

Well, we now begin the regretful task of packing up to disembark tomorrow morning. We're so sad to see this cruise come to an end. We had such a marvelous time. Everything more than lived up to our expectations. And, we made some new friends along the way.

Tomorrow we're in Copenhagen with Ngaire/Ken and Leslie/Brad. We'll tour the castles and wander the city. Alan and I then head off to Amsterdam for three full days of touring.

We'll be back home next Wednesday. It all went so fast and I hate to see this all come to an end.

For someone who said she would not have time to post at all, I guess I did OK. Not up to Marcie standards, but sufficient until I get back to my little computer corner of the world.

Bye for now!

Denise,

So happy that you enjoyed Visby with good weather. It certainly sounds like a different place than the one I remember( unlike you we had driving rain and very raw weather).

I know what you mean about packing. It's sooo depressing to see the suitcases on top of the bed.
But you have a few more days of vacation, so enjoy them!

I would say that for a one week cruise you were very generous with your time in keeping us updated.

Take care!

Have a great time in Amsterdam, one of my favourite places. A post-cruise trip sure eases the pain of debarkation, doesn't it?

Denise, great to hear from you again! As Maria said, you were more than generous in finding time to post. I'm so, so happy to hear that the cruise and sightseeing exceeded expectations!

Leaving the ship is such a letdown, after all the planning and anticipation of getting there. :( But perhaps it will help that you've got more adventures ahead, in Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Have a fabulous time in those two cities.

Oh, and I'm with Alan -- Chocoholic Tea is the best!

Dear Leslie, your adventures sound wonderful! Now I am even more excited about our trip next June. Do you mind sharing with me the cost PP for your 3 days in St Petersburg? Also how many people were in the van? Moscow sounds very intriguing, though I know I couldn't convince my DH to get onboard a Russian plane!! Jeanine

Denise: Happy you have 3 days post cruise - I cannot believe your trip to the Baltics is over - feel as if we lived it with you - waiting, planning, and then it is over - but oh what memories - but, selfishly, happy to have you back next week!!!

Have a wonderful time and tell us what to do in Amsterdam. Take notes. Your week seems to have gone by ever so quickly.

In Visby, someone on our cruise stopped to admire someone's dog and was invited into their home. The homes there are terribly expensive and rarely become available for purchase. They are more expensive than California homes! The people there are so warm. When we went, many of the stores were closed, so we saw very little of the handicrafts.

Denise,

thanks for taking the time to post...

Hi Denise,

I'm really enjoying your posts! Glad you are having a fantastic time. Your descriptions of Russia are wonderful, now I'm wanting to do the Baltics next year! We will definitely give it some thought.

Enjoy the remaining days of your trip and have a safe journey back. Nothing noteworthy is going on in Tustin :)

Thank you to all for your seaposts ... it was great that you took the time to keep us updated on how your cruise was going!!

Masaki

Hi Denise, So glad you enjoyed Visby. After two one day visits (in 93 & 05), it is still one of my favorite places. So quaint, idyllic, and peaceful. I've read about their medievel festival. How lucky of you to be there to experience it. Enjoy Amsterdam and can't wait for more stories and pictures.