Oh what a day, we are in St. Petersburg, this wonderful russian city, also well known as the "Venedig of the North". Everybody was looking forward to this day and we have been very happy, when we could see the first golden roofs very early in the morning. But, and there is always a but, we were a little bit disappointed, that the sunny sky we have had for the last days was gone. Instead of the sun we had grey clouds and rain, but even when it was raining cats and dogs we staid optimistic and that was good because the weather became better during the day. All of us had a more or less busy daily schedule. The excursions started already very early and we really needed the time to get a good first impression of St. Petersburg. Very soon we recognized, that we would need weeks or months to learn all about the town, but our guides did their best to provide a good overview. A big group started the bus tour in the direction of Pushkin to visit the Catherine Palace and of course the reconstruction of the Amber Room. We nearly got a "gold and amber rush" and too soon it was time to drive back to St. Peterburg where a typical russian lunch was waiting for us. Champagne and balalaica music set us in a good mood. After the visit of the magnificent St. Isaac Cathedral we had a little bus ride through the city and than we went back to the ship.
Dinner gave us new power for a classic concert given by a russian orchestra on board MV Fram. In front of the panorame of St. Petersburg it was an unforgettable event.
After the concert everybody went to bed early because another day is waiting for us in St. Petersburg. At 7.15 the first excursions will start, but this city is really worth to get up early!
