Moscow

11 August- last day with guide. Walked to Red Square to visit St Basils Cathedral. Full of old Russian icons. Ivan the Terrible responsible for the building of this Cathedral I believe . All gets a bit confusing after a while because the cathedrals get rebuilt at varying intervals and their purpose/meaning changes depending on regime change. Anyway incredibly beautiful inside and out. Very atmospheric. More a Capella singing inside to enjoy by male voices- no organ music in Orthodox churches. We're given more history to absorb about the eventual defeat of the Mongol Tartars, the Troubles before the appointment of the first Romonovs i.e. major unsettled times etc. seen enough Russian  religious icons to last us a while. Was also told the Bolshevics wanted to blow up St Basils i. e. Stalin but some brave architect refused to let this happen- basically camped there. Saved the church but he ended up in a gulag. Now like a national hero. After St Basils rode the famous Moscow metro with our guide and saw some incredible artwork inside the stations. The stations were built in the late 1930's and the mid 1950's- well the ones we saw were. The art was 'socialist realism' which was the only art allowed in the Soviet era. More hammer and sickles and statues/mosaics of Lenin as well. He is the only acceptable past ruler it seems. Other than the past Tsars. No statues etc of any that came after- well not yet anyway. oh yes- much excitement outside St Basils. Kremlin is closed today and a very noisy helicopter with camoflage flew in low into the Kremlin and it was Putin - well that was what we were told. People around us were very excited. Back to the metro- stations all very beautiful plus it is very impressive as a means of public transport. Very efficient it appears. Almost forgot- walked through GUM department store. Very upmarket. Were offices at some stage during 'Soviet times' ( getting used to that phrase). Now again all shops and food. Very glamorous. Also one of their favourite tourist things both here and in St Petersburg was to have people wandering around in period costume and you paid for photos with them . St P was full of people looking like French nobles to me. Moscow had men dressed as Stakin, Putin and Lenin. Our guide Masha told us at one stage one person appeared dressed as Hitler- she said in her deadpan way that no one wanted a photo with him. Not sure what he was thinking. While Stalin is not now liked they will laugh about some aspects- no one here laughs about Germany and WW2. I think Hitler rates just above Napoleon in the unpopularity stakes in Russia.

Both feel like over- stimulated 5 year olds. Been so much to absorb this holiday and learn and think about. Enjoyed Moscow as much as St Petersburg. Place and its history is fascinating. Also been worthwhile having guides- good for explanations at sights etc but also we got at least some local perspectives on life now and in the recent past. Did not like to pry too much as still some sensitivity about the break up of the USSR and did not want to appear condescending when asking questions about life under Stalin, Kruschev etc ( both guides being old enough to remember) as so much seems so bizarre in Australian eyes but we're not Russian or lived through any of this.
Just had last dinner at restaurant at hotel-,kept it fairly plain given long flight tomorrow. Stephen made very apt comment about hotel while eating dinner- reminded him of the hotel in the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. Perfect description - slightly bizarre, old fashioned complete with maitre de resembling Ralph Fiennes.

Favourite parts of holiday? Possibly Norwegian scenery on the fjords especially, Norwegian people- love their understated manner- suits us both and for me- Russia. Really enjoyed other bits but probably these were the highlights for me.

Moscow

9-10 August- not much happened on the 9th as both of us suffered an attack of food poisoning from the afternoon before. Fortunately had a spare day up our sleeve so travel company rearranged schedule to allow us time to recuperate. Back on track on the 9th with car and driver- Masha and Vladimir our driver. Masha reminds me of a long gone Hungarian great aunt. Met her in the foyer- she looked us up and down and told us to change. Shorts on SA and above knee dress for me not good enough for cathedral visit. Returned 5 minutes later with changed clothing. Great tour of the city by car- with frequent stops to get and see various sites. Will try and remember- cathedral of Christ the Redeemer or Saviour was first up. Tallest Orthodox Church in the world apparently. Originally built in 19th century, dynamited by Stalin, site used as large swimming pool during Kruschev and rebuilt by 2000. Official services held here including 2 riyal chairs set aside fir royalty in an alcove. (???) Guide was not sure who if anyone sat there these days. Also saw many buildings in the 'Stalinist style'. They look like Gotham city- actually very impressive. Funny enough reminded me a bit of New York City's Empire State Building. We're also shown this apartment building that was built during the 'commune era'- in this version, families did not live together. Traditional marriage was not encouraged- men and women lived separately. Not quite sure how that worked but anyway this particular block was also built in the shape of a tractor- promoting industrialisation etc. now the apartments which are close to the Kremlin are very expensive individually owned. Previously all apartments were supplied by the Govt. and very low rent was paid. Now it is all privately owned or presumably rented . Also saw Moscow University- again very old- founded in 1700's. Went to Sparrow Hills- tallest point and got a good look over Moscow centre. Some pretty modern offices and apartment buildings- all built from the 1990,s onwards. What else? Novodevichly Convent- where many Russian noblewomen went or were sent. The building where the 1991(?) peoples uprising I guess occurred where Boris Yeltsen emerged. The protest etc lasted a few days. Our guide told us it was somewhat annoying as she had a lunch to get to nearby and had no idea what was going on. The day to day mingled with these types of occurrences seems normal to them. Went to Red Square- huge and briefly saw St Basils and GUM store- back there tomorrow. Lastly went to the Kremlin. Now that is impressive. Incredible churches there full of 1500's and earlier Russian icons and the tombs of various tsars pre- Romonovs including 'Ivan the Terrible' and 2 of his sons. The walls were just covered in old icons- the churches were- Patriarch's Palace , Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin and Archangel Cathedral of Kremlin. The Kremlin with its towers and walls is on its own very impressive. Do we like Moscow? I'd say yes. Very interesting.  I'd say the place has changed substantially since the early 1990's. Lots of police around as well so feels pretty safe in the tourist places. This guide more forthcoming as to recent changes- Appears the Romonovs are back in fashion- all quiet strange she believes. They can now travel freely apparently . She told us there is even a village looking at establishing some memorial to Ivan the Terrible.oh yes and were taken to a war memorial commemorating baically the defeat of Napoleon and of Hitler. Lots of monuments around regarding Napoleons defeat and Hitlers defeat. And we're told same story as in St Petersburg about Hitker booking a victory banquet in some hotel here- which he had to cancel.

Moscow

8 August- early train to Moscow this morning. Just under 4 hours on a fast train. Train very comfortable- not much to see on the way- water, fields, little villages. Most excitement was being mistaken for Russian at the train station- some woman foolishly asked me for directions. Also got to say Nyet and now know 'thank you' in Russian. Progressing slowly. Does feel good at least being able to thank people in their own language. Hotel again very central and looks to be in upmarket area. In fact I feel like I have been teleported to Double Bay times 10. Never seen so many brand name shops all in the one place. Place full of youngish Russians- skeletal young women and generally much larger men driving expensive black cars. Lots of restaurants and cafes as well- looks like we could get a decent cup of coffee around here. Even found an English language bookshop. Number of security guards around as well and some guards/police with some impressive hardware. Feels a bit like a gated community. We are in the inner circle geographically and can walk to the Kremlin so probably no surprise. Are some impressive looking buildings around here- very ornate- look mainly like banks and Government offices. Some buildings with huge arches in the middle where the horse and carriage used to go so is also an old area we assume. Feel I need to read up on Moscow a bit more. Feels very different to St Petersburg from very brief acquaintance. St Petersburg seems more faded grandeur. Have half day tour tomorrow of the Kremlin and its environs . Trying local restaurant tonight- may finally go for beef Strogonov- seems like we should.

St Petersburg

7 August- enjoyable dinner last night. Tried different restaurant called Jerome. Looked fairly new and   menu was vaguely English- enough to work out dishes. We had delicious meals. I had a ravioli dish with proper beef inside the ravioli and SA had veal cheeks with some mash- lovely slow cooked veal. We then went to this cute coffee shop for vodka and dessert. We had a shot of Russian vodka each - Stolychnaya with too much dessert. Too much dessert because the waitress spoke little English and our Russian is pathetic. Somehow ended up with 2 scoops of ice cream and 2 large meringues. Have found some younger people- around Will's age are more likely to speak English. I refuse to laugh at their English translations on menus as I can just imagine how I'd go translating food into Russian.

Also had a great afternoon yesterday- went to the Impessionist gallery at the Hermitage- located in the old General Staff building. Some I don't know 10 rooms of paintings- all the usual suspects- Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Renoir. We're told the collection belonged to some Russian industrialists and the collection was taken over by the State. Huge number. Spent some 2 hours there.
K
Ok- today we went to the Tsars Village- some 20kms south of St Petersburg to see the Summer Palace- built after the one we saw yesterday which became the 'backup summer palace'. OK I made the back up part up. It is stunning. Built by Elizabeth in the Russian baroque style and added to by Catherine the Second who preferred the more modest Classical style. There are buildings designed by this Scottish architect- Cameron who lived in Russia for some 20 years . Bizarre. Beautiful gardens- French manicured style and English and various pavilions dotted around- smaller buildings where the family would go to eg have breakfast each day or to entertain guests. There is one room totally decorated in Amber. The Germans trashed  the place in WW 2 so a lot has been reconstructed.

We had our guide and driver again. On the way there we saw a very impressive monument regarding the siege of Leningrad. It was amazing- huge statues. Can't describe it so as to give it justice. Also saw some impressive apartment blocks built in the time of Stalin that were actually very modern looking and stylish. Who'd have thought. Looked actually like something you'd see in New York.
Lots of little satellite suburbs in effect on the way to the Palace.

Have to record a story told by Vladmir so don't forget- SA asked where the Stroganov Palace  was ( he saw it on Maps me). Vladimir pointed it out- near our hotel. The story is that Prince Strogonov loved his meat but had very bad teeth and ended up with them all pulled out and having wooden teeth. He could not chew well so his staff came up with the idea of chopping the meat into small strips- hence the invention of beef Strogonov. Also the hotel next to ours is the Hotel Astoria. Vladimir told us that during the siege, Hitler made a booking there for essentially a party to celebrate Germany entering St Petersburg. Of course he never got to confirm the booking. Our guide's mother and step brother escaped to Georgia just before the siege and is obviously a topic close to his heart.

Said goodbye to guide and driver today. They were excellent. Should also mention that Russians drive like maniacs- like Italians. Was interesting at times watching our driver weaving across the various roads. Vladimir did tell us that Russians are crazy drivers- he does not drive.

St Perersburg

6 August- had both tour guide and driver this morning. Went for a drive out to Peterhof Palace and Gardens. This was the summer residence for the Tsars on the Gulf of Finland. The building was started by Peter 1 and then extended over time. The Grand Palace is beautiful inside and out. It is of the Russian baroque and classical style, both of which I am getting very good at recognising. The baroque style is more gaudy- lots of gold leaf, large mirrors and Windows. It is a bit like the French palaces but with a Russian twist with their gold minarets and generally richer colours. Peterhof is sometimes called the Russian Versailles a lot of which it was modelled on. The gardens are huge and are famous for these incredible fountains. There are some impressive statues commemorating the victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War ( all these battles I now know about). There are also a number of 'trick' water features designed by Peter 1- designed to wet the unwary. I should mention that a lot of what we saw was a reconstruction- the Germans destroyed most of the place in WW2. There are photos of the devastation around the park. They have done an impressive job putting it back together. Vladimir told us in his laconic way that the German tourists get an edited tour. He has also mentioned a couple of times that they now get a lot of tour groups from Iran but they insist on their own guide ( as well as the official Russian one) and they do not visit any Russian orthodox churches. They do a tailored tour. Seems a pity to miss the churches- a number are more museums now anyway and are incredibly beautiful. St Petersburg also receives a lot of tourists from Israel with Russian heritage. Vladimir does provide some interesting side comments at times.

In some ways the drive there and back was as interesting. We drove past many many apartment blocks- some newer styles and some not. Vladimir told us how when he was growing up they all lived in communal housing. Families shared kitchens, bathrooms, telephone and generally just had one room to themselves. When Krushev came to power he reintroduced the concept of private apartments again. Unfortunately they were built very quickly and were not so good. We did also pass some rather up market houses and one of Putins residences which is also on the Gulf of Finland, just up from the Summer Palace.

We changed plans on the way back and Sasha our driver dropped us at a metro station and Vladimir brought us back to the hotel on the metro. Knew nothing about St Petersburg's metro. A number of stations are stunning. We got out at a few to have a look- mosaics, Ronanesque statues, busts of Lenin, statue of Pushkin, hammer and sickle motifs. Some reminded us of the Italian art during the 1920's I think- about industrialisation. It is also the deepest metro in the world apparently. Our station is 86 metres below ground.  While we had a guide, actually looks very easy to navigate- the station names even appear in the Latin alphabet as well.

St Petersburg

5 August- had lovely dinner last night at local Georgian restaurant. Tried local dishes- pressed chicken and chicken livers dishes both with a red ajika sauce- sort of a spicy, paprika, tomato sauce. Tried Georgian wine- a red and white and finished with some baclava. Food was very good- quite plain with a sorta smoky flavour. Wine OK- not bad but not outstanding. Baclava seemed to have more of a honey and less of a clover like taste. This morning we got taken to the Hermitage. The entrance is off Palace Square which is where the 1905 'bloody Sunday' massacre took place and from where the Bolsheviks stormed the Summer Palace in 1917. The Hermitage is mind blowing. We had our guide thank goodness so we did not have to queue and he took us through the various buildings for some 3 hours. The most impressive is probably the Summer Palace in terms of the rooms themselves- never seen so much marble and gold leaf in one place. Quite overwhelming. Saw a variety of sculptures and art as well including Rembrandt and Michelangelo plus De Vinci. The sheer volume of art is impressive but I think the buildings themselves and probably the amount collected esp. By Catherine the Great takes a bit to assimulate. The history itself is hard to take in all at once- oppulent dressing rooms, throne rooms, a chapel, a smallish dining room where the Romanov families dined even up to the last Tsar and where the Bolsheviks stormed in in 1917. Not hard to see why there was a revolution. The Russians are very proud of the collection- some of the vases, tables, doors, walls and ceilings are the most beautiful I think I have ever seen. not just tourists wandering around. Our guide told us some of the collection was sold off in the 1950's for hard currency and wealthy Americans bought up a fair bit. Some art work was exchanged/ sold during Brezchnevs time as well and they now believe some of the art received are fakes. Also found out when looking at a portrait of him that the Duke of Wellington fought in the Russian army- the things you learn. Also told that Catherine the Great had many lovers and no one knows who the father of her son actually was. Saw an official portrait of her- not a beautiful woman but I guess who was going to refuse the Empress of Russia.

After a short rest went out for a boat ride on the canals. The commentary was only in Russian but was still very interesting- very impressive houses/palaces/bridges lining the various canals. We started in the Moyka then exited onto the river Neva and went along the Hermitage on our right and the Peter and Paul Fortress on our left . Back into the canal system we went alongside the summer palace gardens which look stunning to me. This canal is the Fontanka. We went past some of their theatres including the Mariinsky ( probably spelt wrong) and again various grand houses and palaces. Some are in disrepair and some are in the process of being repaired. There are also rather incongruously factory chimneys peeking just behind some rather grand places. The boat turned into a smaller canal- the Krukov and then back to the start. The houses less grand on the smaller canal but still pretty impressive- looked like some were being done up. Many apartments/ houses have huge archways in the middle so you could imagine the horses and carriages riding through these. Mainly 18th century buildings. Was great idea to get out on the waterways. We went for a beer/cider afterwards- tried to get adventurous in one place but very hard when no one speaks English. Ended up at nice place where some English spoken. Extremely difficult when you cannot work out from menus what anything is. SA also very excited as went to local food store to get some juice and nuts and found local Russian chocolate. Bought a couple of bars for investigative purposes only.

St. Petersburg

4 August- first full day. Breakfast at hotel and Stephen again went for herrings. He told me they were very nice but the saltiest so far. I had failed to notice that he has had herrings at every breakfast of this holiday. That's commitment. I liked that there were blinis as one of the options. We were met at 10 by our guide- Vladimir and our driver- Alexander. Vladimir speaks good English, Alexander none. He does negotiate the traffic well. Felt a bit decadent having a private guide and driver but is a good idea for the short time we have.

This was a city reconnaissance tour I guess you'd say with a few stops for photoes plus we went to the Peter and Paul Fotress and the cathedral there. The Fortress is on an island and is where 'Peter the Great'- the Tsar who founded St Petersburg first set up camp in effect. There are some old prisons which I believe have been used until not that long ago- did not visit them. Did go to the Cathedral which was stunning. Full of gold, beautiful decor and the coffins of all the old Tsars and their wives plus assorted Romanovs are also accommodated in an additional building. Only one Tsar is not buried here now.- he apparently died in Moscow of the pox some while ago and was burned there. Even the last of them is buried here. Is actually the most unorthodox Orthodox Church I have been in . Almost more like a tribute to the Romanovs chapel. The city is full of palaces it seems. Practically every Tasr, Empress and near relation plus assorted friends seems to have had some sort of palace. Particularly lining the River Neve there is row upon row of impressive buildings. We also got taken to the 'Church on Spilt Blood'- great name. It was built where one of the Tsars was assassinated- Alexander the Second I think. Anyway history records he was actually popular - abolished serfdom, made steps to a Constitution etc so he is said to have been killed by a terrorist. The church is also stunning- saw the outside only- full of mosaics, the classic onion domes etc. hard to describe how stunning. We even saw a stunning Sunni Mosque- who'd have believed. Saw statue of Peter the Great, and the Hermitage from the outside- there tomorrow. In the afternoon we took ourselves to St Isaacs Cathedral which took some 40 years to build. Is more a museum than church these days. One of the Tsars or more than one of them commissioned it. I do remember that when it was finished the current Tsar was assassinated 40 days later- think he was Catherine the Greats son- Paul. They do appear to have bumped off a few Tsars. Also went for a walk down one of the main streets- Nevsky Prospekt. Somewhat disappointing to see a huge Zara amongst other brands! Lots of tourists but is still very Russian. Very little English spoken outside of the hotels and tour guides. Some restaurants have English menus but that is about it. Was told a few times by guide and hotel- don't carry passport and be very careful with belongings. Didn't feel particularly unsafe when not with guide but you do stand out- no one thinks we are Rusdian even when we aren't speaking! Plus of course we have no idea what is being said around us. The people we have come across are very helpful though and most of the time just feels like you are in a big city again with all that brings with it.

Lying on hotel bed staring out the window at St Isaacs- St Petersburg certainly gives other cities a run for their money in terms of impressive buildings.

Russia-St Petersburg

3 August- caught train from Helsinki to St Petersburg. Very easy 3 1/2 hour trip. Had to do 2 border crossings on the train- when exiting Finland and when entering Russia.. First time since Oslo when anyone was interested in our passports. Passed through some small Finnish towns but mainly just forests and some lakes. Arrived mid afternoon in St Petersburg. Hotel is huge- pretty plush and very central. Short walk to the Hermitage and across the road from St Isaacs Cathedral. Lots of very impressive buildings lining the waterways. Went for walk before dinner. Initial impressions- people standing on quayside with snakes wrapped around their necks (!) and lots of largish spoons for sale. The snakes?? There is a monument nearby of Peter the Great on horseback and the horse is stepping on a snake. I read that the horse is stepping on the Swedish empire- as represented by the snake. Monument is impressive anyway - solid marble apparently. Had light dinner at hotel cafe- stopped for a couple of beers- SA tried the local brew, first the light and then the dark. I stuck with Peroni- then too tired to move so progressed to pizza and a green salad. The green salad was a bit different- no lettuce. The green was for the cucumber accompanied by radish, tomatoes and onion. Mainly cucumber and sour cream. We also stumbled into cocktail hour so after my beer I ended up with a red cocktail- not sure what was in it but it was nice. Going to try and find more traditional restaurant tomorrow and time to study up on sights.

Helsinki

2 August- had a short bus tour this morning. Was a good way to see parts of Helsinki would not have got to. Saw 3 churches- 2 we saw yesterday and the 3rd is a modern one built into a rock. Interesting idea. Also saw a Sibelius monument- looks like organ pipes- impressive, the Olympic village from when the games were held here, basically some suburbs which was interesting as you get to see where some of the wealthier Heksinkians live. Some rather huge places. Some of the area where the docks are is being redeveloped into apartments. Went into the Russian Orthodox Church after the tour as was closed yesterday- very different to the Lutheran one unsurprisingly. Wandered around Market Square and bought some lovely fruit to eat. Was a brilliant sunny day- like a spring day in Sydney. Did a bit of shopping. Their summer sales  are on and we get the VAT refund. Scary how expensive Sydney must be when prices here do not look much more if any expensive than home- applies to both food and clothing. Very easy place to wander around. Of course we got interested as to why Finland was never part of the USSR. Probably don't know exact answer but did discover was part of Sweden at one stage, then Russia. It became independent in the 1920's like the Baltic States. Russia did try to invade in 1940 but sounds like the Finnish are scary fighters and the place is just so inhospitable weather wise that too makes it a bit hard to invade. They defeated the Russians and then had some strange cooperation arrangement with the Germans in WW2. Now have some sort of cooperative trading arrangements with Russia but is a Western nation. Very different place. SA was told about ice fishing yesterday- he found a fishing shop - in a homing pigeon sort of way he finds these shops. He is coming alone if he plans on huddling over a hole in the ice in winter here! Think maybe a step too far for him even.

Helsinki- Finland

1 August- caught a very large ferry across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki. Took approx. 2 hours. The boat had numerous food places including a formal restaurant, a supermarket, shopping and a live band. There was not much to see- Stephen unoriginally asked me what was I expecting: ' the Hanging Gardens of Babylon' ? Hah. Anyway was just a lot of water- some surprisingly shallow water it seemed. Hotel is yet again in a very good location and is comfortable- near the main square where tomorrow's tour starts . We walked around the old part of the city this afternoon. Some cute markets down near the water and saw the 2 main churches- Uspenski Catgedral which is a Russian Orthodox one and Helsinki Cathedral- White Lutheran cathedral- very plain inside but is definitely a landmark on the skyline. The area with the markets is in a square called Market Square. Walked past a yellow brick building we liked the look of but was closed. Just checked and is a 19th century Old Market Hall. It is also right near the waters edge. May go back tomorrow. Most buildings seem to date from the 19th century. Are some impressive buildings with impressive statues.. Saw the main railway station- that has huge statues outside. Very imposing looking. Lot of buildings very grey block- like looking though- quite severe looking. Lots of shops and shopping areas are very pleasant to wander around. Low key Italian meal tonight. Is summer here of course but back to wearing warmer clothes as is definitely cooler around 18 degrees. Get a city bus tour tomorrow.