Often as is the case we hear little ofany other country apart from what the media allow us to, that isoften with a bias and most times only of a political nature. Theytell very little of the people or how they live unless it is a storyto shock.


Never in my wildest dreams did I everimagine I would spend a week end in Russia but that is what we did.


Saturday June 10th, a greymorning with the sky filled with light cloud we sailed up the RiverNeva. All along the riverside large apartment blocks looking in needof maintenance and repair, berthing in the port of St. Petersburg.

The river, as wide as some 400 metersin places, will freeze solid from mid October to late March/earlyApril with a high day time temperature then of minus 5 degreescentigrade. But for now it is filled with a variety of ships andsmall boats, many of which during the short summer will be used aspleasure boats.


We berthed in an area set aside forcruise ships and the P&O Britannia was in one adjacent to ours.


Entering Russia for the first time isvery protracted matter, immigration is slow with long queues awaitingservice. One at a time you are processed, taking up to 5 minuteseach, whilst your passport is scanned and a visa written up. Thevisa, just a small piece of paper, is placed in the passport. Onreturn to the ship passing through this point again it is removed andthe pass port once more stamped. Any ventures ashore after this arequicker with just a quick scan and stamp.


For this tour we were met by the bus totake us to St. Petersburg station, a large station with in one arealarge stone carvings set into the walls. Saw little else as we wereswiftly moved onto our train for the journey north.


The train is a bullet train and ourjourney was at some 240 kilometers per hour for the 3.5 hour journeyto Moscow.
The carriages are laid out in similarfashion to those of business class on most airlines. Comfortablereclining seating that can convert to a bed. Set in pairs each sideof a central aisle with room to move.
The crew all dressed very smartly inuniforms of grey and gold. We were fed on our journey is a similarmanner to aircraft service but with better food and quantity. Wineand beer, as much as you want.


The previous night the 60 of us on thetour were informed that for this tour no photographic equipment wouldbe allowed. Whilst there were a number of 'no photo' signs in MoscowI think it was more to do with the regions the train passed through.Large expanses of countryside but the small towns we passed did notlook to be in good order, maybe not the image the Russians wish thewest to see.


Moscow station, like so many otherbuildings in Russia is huge with large columns of marble and granite,we were quickly taken to the nearby coach for our drive into thecity.
The roads looked very much like otherswe were later to see in St. Petersburg, but clean and graffiti free.
Cars all of good quality, BMW,Mercedes, and many other European ones, many we were told are builthere under license so the quality may be of question.
Before we knew it we had reached RedSquare, not red at all though there is a small patch on one wall withyellow the more prominent color. The square got the name after the1917 revolution.
But it is big with guards all around,all armed with AK47's but so many looking hardly old enough to shave.We were allowed to walk around within a structured area, within weremany other tourists many from within the country.


Not knowing what to expect in thiscountry we were pleasantly surprised to see they are little differentto us in the west, just ordinary people going about their dailytasks. Having taken a good look at the square we were back on thecoach and on our way to the Kremlin.
An impressive building, again in theRussian style of opulence and grandeur, with guards situated at anumber of points. Inside we were allowed to see some of the roomsused by politicians and they are not unlike those of our own. Shownthe office of President Putin but not allowed in. The main chamber ofthe parliament is laid out in a different manner to those we know,more of a circular style with more room than ours.
The government is in majority with theUnited Russia Party being the largest but with a number of smallerones as well. We were informed that the popularity of Putin is at80%. The term of office being four years with only two terms beingallowed. However a bill has been put to the parliament to considermaking Putin a life president based on his popularity and the goodwork he has done for Russia.!! He is referred to by many as TsarPutin!!!


From here to the large church close by,typical style with the ;onion; roof. The inside, as we were todiscover with so many others, is the most decorative and richlyfurnished you will ever see. Gold is everywhere in quantity andquality. Like all other churches here it is very big in all aspects.The statues virtually drip with gold, cloths that look very much likeErmine or Sable hang from the walls and the ceiling is one of superbdecoration the likes of which is rarely seen. Icon paintings are tobe seen in all corners of this church and one can only gaze inamazement at it all.


From here we were taken to a souvenirshop where before going in we were informed by the guide there wouldbe free Vodka?? But as we entered there just inside the door on atable half a dozen bottles of Vodka with small tumblers to drinkfrom. This I can tell you is the real stuff, not the make believethey sell in the bottle shops back home. It is so smooth and oncedrunk emits a very warm glow within. But wit the temperatures theyget here for much of the year one can understand why they drink somuch of it.
There was the usual array of goods onsale, but by far the largest number was of the Russian doll, the onethat opens with another in side, and another inside that. Key rings,fridge magnets and all the usual kind one would find anywhere in theworld.


Our last part of the tour was to atheater to see a typical folk show of singing and dancing. Very welldone, very energetic though we had no idea of the story it told. Thecostumes typical of older style country clothing with good music muchof which was played on the Balalaika, what looked like Clarinet anddrums.


Once over back to the coach for our 4hour return journey. Back in St. Petersburg we observed that unlikewestern cities there were no city lights, all in darkness. Very fewstreet lights and the only obvious lighting, signs above the bars andrestaurants while along the river banks masses of locals gathered toenjoy the evening.












Sunday June 11th, after anight on board in port we had another tour to see the city of St.Petersburg.
The city, and one time capital of theRussian empire was founded on May 27th 1703. It was thenknown as Petrograd named after the founder Peter the Great, alsoknown as Peter the First. After the 1917 revolution named asStalingrad and some years ago after a referendum of the residentsnamed St. Pertersburg. The city began life on a small island in theriver and from this grew to the city it is today.
It is a city of myth, tragedy like noother, floods of magnitudial quantity in 1724, 1824 and 1924.
Many have over the 300 years of itsexistence attempted to capture it, but without success. It withstoodthe ravages of the German army for some 872 days during WW2.


The city has a population of 5 millionwho endure most years what is a nine month winter. During the twoweeks either side of the longest day they celebrate ' white nights'when the people celebrate outside as much as possible with largecrowds all along the river at night.
It is a city of numerous very largebuildings all with large frontal columns of great size cut frommarble, polished and with the outside of the buildings painted inmany bright colors. Palaces in number along with churches are themain feature of this city. A city in a land where the population is60% female and only 40% male resulting in the females at all timeslooking their very best.


The palaces and churches are on agrandeur scale rarely seen, the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul hason the roof gold in the weight of 200 pounds. Gold is the mark of allthe churches and one could possibly say that half the worlds goldadorns the churches and palaces of Russia. It is this church that theremains of Peter the Great are buried.
The Saint Peter and Paul fortress,connect to the church, served a military purpose though no enemy evermade it as far as the gates. Over a period of 200 years it was usedas a prison and torture chamber . It was here that Peter the Greatbrought his son Tsarevich Alexel in 1718 along with otherconspirators. After some horrific torture in the presence of theemperor he was executed
The initial tour took us around thecity where we observed so many places of interest, the peopleenjoying a Sunday out whilst in many of the city squares actors intraditional dress of the 1700's walked amongst the crowds. A visit toanother souvenir shop and again more Vodka.


Having seen much of the city we chosethen to visit the Winter Palace. This, like the summer palace not faraway, was the part time home of the Tsar.
A large ornate building with massivecolumns holding the outside of the building. As I walked up the stepsI realized I was mounting the steps of history, for it was here inSeptember of 1917 that Emperor Nicholas the 11 and his family enteredthe building for the last time. It was here in the October that therevolutionaries took him and his family hostage. They were keptprisoners here until February of 1918 when they were moved to thetown of Ekateringburg where in June of that year they were killed. In1998 the remains of the family were buried in the Sts. Peter and Paulcathedral.


As one walks along the first corridoryou see dozens of marble statues some of the very finest quality.Then to the staircase leading to the first of three large halls. Thefirst and largest being the St George hall or great throne room withan area of 800 square meters.


The painted ceiling above the stairwayis second only to that of the one in the Vatican. But that is onlythe beginning, after the first and main hall there are somethings toblow your mind away. The gold, the elegance, the design of theceiling, from which hang chandeliers of great design,there areinsufficient superlatives to describe what one sees there. It has tobe seen to fully appreciate.
The two following halls are no lessimpressive and as one moves along you begin to get some concept ofhow life must have been in those days. The effort of great artists,sculptures, designer, engineers and others is evident at everycorner. But all along the gold, jewelery, fine cloths, artifactsstand out as if to say this is the palace of the extremely wealthy.But one must give credit to the builders of this and all the otherfine buildings of this great city. The death toll from building suchis not fully known but estimated to be in the thousands over theyears. One section of this three storey building has 16 marblecolumns supporting part of the structure, all perfectly cut andpolished. How, without the aid of modern tools did they achieve suchperfection one may well ask?


It would appear very odd to many thatthe revolution of 1917 came about as a result of disparity betweenthe very rich and the commoner, the wealth of this palace showing thedifference between the two societies. Yet despite this therevolutionaries kept it as it was no doubt enjoying the sight ofwealth such as they had not known before.


As one moves along further great wealth is seen, in this palace is the second largest Rembrandt collectionin the world. Along with works of Da Vinci and other great artists.Two Da Vinci paintings The Madonna Benois and the Madonna Litta aretwo of the most famous works he produced. This palace holds thesecond largest collection of art works after the Louvre in Paris. Aroom filled with Egyptian artifacts some far greater than those inthe Cairo museum.


Rooms filed with golden treasures ofstatues, the famous Peacock clock from the 18th centurymade by an Englishman James Cox.
It has been estimated that to view allthe works of art in this museum and the building in a complete andmeaningful manner would take eight years. It is without doubt one ofthe worlds finest museums but hardly known to most outside of Russia.


There is no social security in Russiaand no public housing, most live in apartment blocks. These are basicbut serviceable and often there will be more than one family to anyone apartment. Our guide told us of one he lived in when he wassingle. One of six including a police man, actor, shop assistant, analcoholic and a homosexual.
There is in St. Petersburg a dailypaper in English with an interesting article. The government haspassed a law making Gay pride marches and the flying of the Rainbowflag illegal. Whilst they accept that there are gay people underRussian law it is illegal for any one group to promote it's selfabove any other. All under the law are equal so no need to displayany differences.


But the Russian government, no doubtkeen to show a good side is encouraging weekend flights from Europeso that more from the west may view such places.
There are so many other places,churches and museums, all of great intrinsic value that it would takeyears to see them all in depth. But we are very thankful that wemanaged to see just one tiny cornet of this country and its people.From my observation there is nothing to fear from the people of thisnation, those at the top may be a different matter though. I wouldlike to think that in the not too distant future we will visit hereagain.
Petrol here is the cheapest in theBaltic region at R4.4 per litre.