Baltic cruise (Day 7 – St Petersburg)

Sailed into St Petersburg this morning for a two day stop; the ‘Jewel of The Baltic’ – formerly Leningrad & Petrograd - its original name as given by Czar Peter The Great when he founded it in 1703 was reinstated in 1991.

It is a city of monumental buildings, especially so along the banks of the River Neva. It is a city of statues and museums. And it is a city of churches. With none more impressive than The Church on the Spilled Blood, which had to be my blip for today. The church was built as a memorial to Alexander II on the site of his assassination, hence the name.

Mrs Lomond and I went on a walking tour of part of the city today, one of the few that actually allows a visit inside this church, rather than just an exterior photo-opp. It was so worthwhile, probably the most beautiful and impressive church interior we’ve seen anywhere – it has over 75000 square feet of mosaics covering the interior and exterior. (See first 3 Extras).

This evening we all went out to see a performance of Swan Lake by the Saint Petersburg Russian Ballet Theatre; it was as impressive as you’d imagine.

[Extra 4 – Invasion of the Matryoshka dolls]