Travel Tips

We had a really marvellous trip to Russia with our “icebreaker trip”.

The driver took us for an hour’s trip around the city, which was beautifully illuminated. In bed by 11 o’clock after two very full days in St Petersburg. Monday morning it was an early start for our journey back to Holland. We were up at 6 o’clock and away at 6.55 with our breakfast packets with us. These consisted of 4 dried out rolls, a leg of chicken a piece of salmon, and a tomato. Travelled through the dark winter landscape towards the border. We stopped in Vyborg for a “nicotine shot” for a couple of the group and to give our breakfast to the people in the square and then it was on to the border. Awful really we left our breakfast on a little wall because we didn’t like it and within minutes all the bags were gone. People with fur coats on walked by carrying our unwanted food! It gave me a very unpleasant feeling really, almost as if I was ungrateful for what I had.

We stopped near Kotka in Finland for lunch and then it was on to Helsinki for an hour’s city trip. We were having problems, problems and more problems with the camera. Visited the cathedral and a beautiful church built in the rock and at last the Sibelius monument. We had seen it some years ago but it was good to see it again. Then we when on to Turku for the night ferry. It was a huge boat, 3000 people can travel on it, but at this time of the year it was not full. Tuesday we were up at 5.30 (having had to put our watches back, which resulted in an hour longer rest). Breakfast at 6 0’clock and we arrived in Stockholm at 7.00 There was still lots of ice around Turku, so we really did have an icebreaker cruise. It was a lot warmer in Stockholm +5 degrees and almost all the snow had disappeared. At 9.45 we had coffee at the route 66 restaurant. Last week I was up to my knees in snow there but today it was almost gone and what remained was dirty grey. We had a half-hours coffee break and then it was on to Goteborg. We stopped at the lakeside restaurant again for lunch. Last week there was snow today it was green and lovely. Arrived at Goteborg harbour at 4.30 and we could board the ship at 5. Once again we had cabins on deck 2 under the car deck. It is not very reassuring to arrive in your cabin deep in the bowels of the ship and the very first thing you see is a bible. The cabins are very small and this time they were not very clean either. Luckily it is only for one night. We had the Scandinavian buffet dinner again.

There was ice in the normally ice free harbour of Goteborg! It was of course broken up but still there were quite thick blocks of ice floating about. We were off the boat at 9 o’clock and away by 9.15. A lovely days drive through Sweden to Stockholm. There was thick snow along the way and after lunch it started snowing again. I was up to my knees in snow when we had a short walk after lunch. We had heavy snow for about an hour on the way into Stockholm.

We were up at 7.30 on the Saturday morning, but I got up with a very bad headache. Breakfast was at 8.15 and then we were going to the Pushkin Palace outside St Petersburg. We didn’t get far because on the Moscow Prospekt just outside the city the bus stopped – diesel pipes frozen. Well it had been –32 degrees in the night! We sat for about two hours while the driver tried to get us moving again. Luckily he had the help of one of the passengers who was motor mechanic. Nothing helped though and finally we got two mini buses as replacement. The driver stayed with our bus and we went with the mini buses to the Pushkin Palace. Luckily we had lunch packets with us which we ate in the bus while we were waiting. The Palace was beautiful, but because we had lost so much time we were rushed through it. Then we went back to the bus, which was still broken, and the drivers of the mini buses tried to help get it going – all to no effect. So we all went back to the hotel. There was no time for the planned visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress.

There was just time for an early dinner and then it was away again to the Russian evening in the hired minibuses. The driver went with our Dutch bus, which was towed, to a garage. They had been busy all day trying to find a garage, which was open on a Saturday! The Russian evening was held in the Nicholas Palace, which is beautiful. In the interval we were served champagne and vodka and caviar. Why people like caviar I don’t know. I tried it and it’s just a mouthful of salty water … I washed it down with my champagne. After the show we walked through the snow to the buses.

I slept very well and was up at 7.45 for our breakfast at 8.15. A lot of snow had fallen in the night, but it was not so colder today. Strange really when it is –20 instead of –25 you don’t say “it is less cold today” but “it is a bit warmer today” The singing lady in the bus has a cold so it was quieter. We left the hotel, in mini buses, for a city sightseeing tour before going to the Hermitage. . We went back to the hotel at 1.30 for lunch and there was our own bus repaired and waiting for us! Left again at 2.30 in our bus to visit the Peter and Paul Fortress. There was a notice in the fortress grounds saying that it was forbidden to walk naked or in swimming costume in the summer in the Peter and Paul Fortress. I suppose that means that you can in the winter! The Tsar’s of Russia are buried there (except the last one). Then we visited the Aurora, where the first shot of the October Revolution was shot. It was built 101 years ago. Then we went back to the hotel at 4.45 and had an early dinner. We were away again at 5.45 to go the ballet. It was Swan Lake danced by the Bolshoi ballet in the old Kirov theatre, and it was completely sold out. It was obvious why once you saw it. We were lucky and had very good seats and this time I saw the whole ballet. Last time I was sick and was in the toilet most of the time. I enjoyed every minute of it. We had to wait about ten minutes for the bus after the performance.