Russia
22nd Jul 2017
St.
Petersburg
was
the
centre
of
our
cruise,
a
place
of
contrasts.
In
the
city
potholed
roads
and
dilapidated
buildings
which
contrasted
with
the
neat
new
motorway
running
past
luxury
hotels
to
the
ideally
restored
Catherine's
Palace.
The
beauty
and
splendour
of
Catherine's
Palace
contrasted
with
the
vile
corruption
of
the
Romanov
tsars.
The
guide
skirted
softly
over
the
way
the
Nazis
damaged
the
palace
during
the
siege
of
Leningrad.
6th Aug 2011
The
furthest
point
on
the
cruise,
and
the
high
spot,
was
St
Petersburg.
The
city
is
a
blend
of
Western
grand
architecture,
Orthodox
cathedrals
with
their
almost
Disney
cupolas,
and
Soviet
era
bleakness.
We
stopped
a
night
there,
on
the
first
day
went
to
Peterhof
where
the
fountains
are
really
something,
water
and
gold
paint
sparkling.
Not
so
busy
as
we
were
marched
through
the
palace
first,
coach
parties
are
allowed
in
first
before
ordinary
visitors.
Peterhof
Palace
had
pictures
of
a
Russian
naval
victory
for
which
they
blew
up
a
real
frigate
so
the
artist
could
see
what
an
exploding
ship
looked
like!