First, let me update. I do have photos on my point and shoot camera, just none from Estonia. So letøs start with St. Petersburg. I have to say that Russia was not my favorite part of this trip. The ship docked overnight so we had 2 days there. The passport control and security was very strict, and we were not allowed to leave the ship except on scheduled shore excursions through the ship's contracted tour agency. All the tours were marathon length rushes through various tsarist (I can't choose a spelling for that word... there are so many!) sites. All of them have been meticulously restored after destruction in WWII, as well as years of Soviet neglect. We, along with what seemed like hundreds of other tour groups were smashed into room after room of gilded excess, and then rushed up or down stairs into the next spectacle. I saw Catherine's summer palace, the Hermitage and Peterhof, the summer palace of Peter the Great. Here are an assortment of photos:
The ones above are all from Catherine's palace and the Hermitage. The ones below are from Peterhof:
After seeing all this, it makes sense that there was a revolution.
Of course, the city itself was much more grim and grimy than the palaces. I just saw it from a bus window, but really, it didn't entice. A few folks had their own visas and reported having very nice meals and yarn shopping experiences. So I really can't report more than what the tours were like, and in general, it was not my favorite travel experience.
The next stop was Helsinki, which in contrast WAS my favorite travel experience, at least on this trip. Lovely, mid sized, clean, well organized, full of beautiful shops and markets, surrounding a lovely harbor.... I felt like I could move to Helsinki. Here are some photos:
Oh yeah, that's right. Helsinki is where I lost my camera. This is the only shot I took with my point and shoot. So you'll just have to take my word for it.....I will go to post #2 for Stockholm and Cophenhagen. See you in a sec.
