BSS Cruise 2011

St. Petersburg RussiaWe had two days in St. Petersburg. We had arranged our own guide/driver for the two days. (so smart and so worth it!)

We met Elana after going through immigration (Russia requires a visa ... even when coming in on a cruise ship). We had a packed agenda for those two days.
Day 1: city tour (having our own driver was awesome. Alex would pull over so we could take picture, he would drop us off at one end of a park and be waiting for us at the other.) Pushkin, Catherine Palace, Peterhof, Walking tour of the gardens (it was a VERY warm day) Monplaisir, St. Issac Cathedral.
Elana was awesome. It was so interesting talking about her life, growing up in Russia. Another great history lesson. (I am becoming quit the history buff)

{um, excuse me, can you get your bum out of my picture}

Day two: Peter and Paul fortress, Church of the spilled blood, Hermitage, Yusupov
It was an awesome experience. We were exhausted by the end of our two days. No one got kidnapped (a small fear of some of the girls). We ate yummy food. Russia is not what I pictured it to be (gray and sad) it was a beautiful city (colorful -- since the 1990's) It was one of those places that made you reflect on how really good we have it. While they are "free", it isn't the same freedom that we know. I am ever the more grateful for the life that I have.

We sure did pay $1 to use the bathroom ... in more than one country! Do people outside the US not use the bathroom as much as we Americans?