FUN-travel: Saint Petersburg – Day 12 – Uniworld River Cruise
July 17, 2014 by Susan Clarke
Day 14 – Monday, July 14 – St. Petersburg – blue skies w/big puffy, white clouds – high 70’s
What I LIKE
- 6:45 – wake up
- 8:00 – depart for Catherine Palace in Pushkin Park
- 8:30 – arrive
- 10:00 – enter Catherine’s Palace
- – designed by Rastrelli
- – a Baroque masterpiece
- – summer residence of czars
- – features Amber Room
- – covered from floor to ceiling
- – original moved during WW2
- – have never found it
- – recreation cost $6 million & took 20 yrs
- Amber is petrified tar
- See dining rooms, dressing room, sleeping rooms
- 10:30 – walk in palace gardens
- – park & monuments surrounding
- – includes pond, lake, pavilions
- 11:15 – bus back
- 11:45 – arrive ship
- Start packing big suitcase
- 12:30 – nice salad – pasta w/mushrooms
- – ham & cheese Panini for room snack
- Finish packing
- 4:00 – try to sleep
- 5:30 – work on travel log
- 7:00 – farewell dinner w/Norga & Chris
- – lovely couple from South Africa
- – start w/ Castelnau Rose before dinner
- – like the Taittinger its real Champagne from Reims, France
- – special thanks to our BA flight attendants!
- 7:30 – starts raining!
- 10:00 – room phone call
- – front desk wants us to come pay
- – get down there & 6 people all trying to pay
- – holds credit card terminal over her head
- – in hopes of getting connection
- – too funny!
- – lucky me – good to go on 1st swipe!
What I DON’T LIKE
- More hurry up & wait in line
- Every tour arrives at the same time
- AC in room never worked!
FUN-fact – St. Petersburg is the 2nd largest city with 5 million people and the entire city center is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is 34 kilometers from east to west.
More FF – We have been so lucky to have sun everyday and no rain during our tours. St. Petersburg has 60 days of sunshine on average each year.
Not so FF – There has been a lecturer on board but due to her heavy accent we just can’t stay engaged.