Finland Russia Baltic Day 3

Trafalgar Tours - Day 03 - October 05, 2008 - Sunday - St. Petersburg, Russia

Even though we were very tired, sleep did not come easily. We woke up about 3:30 am and I organized some lose ends while Gennie worked on her UOP classes and checked on her student teachers.

Our “wake up call” came at 5:00 right on schedule but we were both out of the shower and finishing our packing so our bags could be outside our door at 5:30.

We went to our early buffet breakfast and found a few more other early risers. Although there are a few Americans on our tour, the majority come from Australia, with several from Singapore, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland. There are 40 in our group, so we have a few empty seats on our 48 passenger bus.

It was cold and dark when we got on the bus. The temperature was 54 degrees and the humidity was 81%. Xavier introduced us to our bus driver, Nikolai who is from Russia and will be our driver for the whole two week journey.

We went over the rules for our trip for the safety and good of the whole group. Xavier really stressed punctuality and not talking when the speaker is talking; we will see how long those are honored in a group this large.

We began our journey into Russia, passing the timber centre of Kotka and then the forests of Karelia which lead to the former city of the Tsars, St. Petersburg.

The sky was still dark and cloudy but in the dawn we could see the beautiful colors of the silver birch trees, now bright yellow, red, and orange. This part of Finland reminded us of Northern Minnesota or our journey through Canada.

As we approached the border we saw miles and miles of cargo trucks waiting in line to pass through the control areas. Xavier told us that the drivers can wait for days to pass over and through the red tape!

At 8:45 we got out of the bus and walked through the Finnish station to get our passports stamped exiting the European Union. Nikolai took the bus through and met us for the next stage of the process. No cameras or cell phones are allowed in these areas.

After about one kilometer we crossed the actual Russian border where a Russian soldier got on our bus and looked briefly at each of our passports. We then went to the Russian station where we all got out and stood in line while we individually presented our passports and visas.

By 9:45 we left the main terminal and then had one more stop where a Russian guard boarded the bus to examine our papers for the appropriate stamps. Xavier then collected all of our documents and will keep them to present to each hotel. We will not have access to our passports for another week or until we leave Russia.

As we traveled along the Gulf of Finland, Xavier gave us more information about the country of Russia. In land mass, it is still the largest country covering 11 time zones. However, it is one of the least populated. The birth rate is very low and going down dramatically every year.

We stopped in the town of Vyborg, a Viking city for an early lunch at 11:30. We were served borscht, a red soup made from beets, little rolls and a brown bread with butter. We also had coffee or tea and ice cream. Yes, we are in Russia now!

At 12:30 we were back on the bus and on our way to St. Petersburg. As we drove through the beautiful countryside, Xavier told us more about the city of the Czars and its history. He also taught us a few important Russian phrases to get us by as many people do not speak English.

Upon reaching the city, we picked up our local city guide, Natasha. She gave us more very specific information about her city. A few of the most interesting facts are that the latitude is 59.8 degrees, similar to Anchorage, Alaska and that St. Petersburg has only 35 sunny days per year. Coming from Colorado where we have over 300 days of sun, that was a big difference!

We spent the next 3 hours on an overview of the city where we will spend the next three days. Nikolai skillfully maneuvered our bus around the many cars and pedestrians all exploring this city on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We made several stops for photos and to walk in this very well laid out metropolis as well as driving through many of the very unique neighborhoods.

We arrived at our huge Park Inn Hotel, a small city in itself. We had just settled into our room on the 10th floor and gotten our luggage when I discovered that we could not receive an internet connection so they changed our room and we moved to a smaller but accessible room on the 4th floor.

While Gennie began to type the journal, I went to the lobby to the ATM machine to get some rubles for our stay here in Russia. The ruble is a very hard currency, even more stable than the Euro right now I then went across the street to the market and bought two liters of water - one cannot drink water from the tap.

At 6:45 we joined our group for dinner, a set menu in one of the hotel’s many dining rooms. After our meal we met Natasha and Xavier for a delightful nighttime tour of the city.

The lights on all of the monuments, palaces, and gardens were truly spectacular. We came back to our hotel at 10:15, very tired but happy that we are able to take advantage of all of the things to see on this tour of a lifetime!

Accommodations: Pribaltiskaya Hotel - - - Meal: B, D

Sounds interesting, especially the "severed borscht". I love the soup and the beets but never had this particular variety.

Thank you for this wonderful journal - I am a friend of Elizabeth Denman's (travelling on your trip) and it just feels like I am there with her.

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