Why do Tsars get to be saints?

Arrived by plane, caught a bus to the main station, and the underground to a stop near our hotel. Of course near and far are relative terms, when lugging luggage over cobblestones or temporary boardwalks around building works with temperature and sunshine up a notch here.

Nice little hotel with free wifi; hence the catchup in weblog. Breakfasts a little more basic; sausages more like hotdogs, supermarket bread etc. No luck with soy milk coffees let alone decaf. Made an immediate friend.



Naturally Russia is a little less English-compliant; the masses of tourists in St P are more likely from other parts of Russia. And there are masses, making it all a little more breathless, even though the tourist sites are more Disneyland than Luna Park, their scale imperial rather than royal.




Our local church, of which more later. We spent two days at the Hermitage, Winter Palace etc. The need for bolshevism is suddenly urgent, as subsequent updates will tell.


- Posted just before we catch our first real train.

Location:St Petersburg