Hi all. We really are enjoying this cruise much more than last time. For a start we have made it to 4 days without mishap. The ship may be older but easier to get around as it is more compact. The staff are really friendly and not pushy with up selling. We have an excellent waiter Romnick and waitress Magdalena who are cherry and happy givng us wonderful service in the dining room. The food has been nearly faultless and we are really impressed. Unfortunately having 4 courses is going to show quickly. So we have done zumba, walking track, salsa class and line dancing today. Wiped out now. billy went on diet for lunch and only ate salad but then had a memory lapse about lunch due to not eating enough. Made up for it at dinner though.
Tallin
Gorgous little medieval town with tons of character. Red roof tops and stone walls everywhere.. We walked around and it took us 4 hours. Not worth doing a tour or bus. Pick up a map from the tourist bureau in old town and do your own tour.
At Petersburg Russia
6.30 start and on the go seeing Hermitage Museum and the treasures which were breathtaking with the 24 carat diamond and the jewel encrusted jewelery covered in diamonds, ruby, and emeralds. Rembrants and Raphael paintings. Peter and Paul fortress and cathedral.where a firing of the cannon gave us all a real fright. All the places are airless and hot and I felt faint as you are not allowed to take food out of this port. Unfortunately the Russian lunch was a let down with vodka that smelt and tasted like meths. Visited the Catherine the Great palace (1 1/2 drive ) for a magnificent evening of a champagne hor d'oeuvres band playing entrance to the visit and orchestral ensemble. Even acting out from a queen and performance by dancers. Dinner was a little intense with us cooking in the heat and the Russian singers performing upbeat loud music Which was impossible to relax in. Not home till midnight and an early start tomorrow.
Day 2
Started at the Peterhof palace. Magnificent for a smaller palace esp the cascading fountains. Full on day as you go thru the palace the rooms are stifling, just like everywhere else we have visited. Little Russian ladies sit in the rooms fanning themselves and nearly fainting. The canal ride up the Fontanka River was a breath of fresh air and a sip of sparlking wine helped. After a slightly better lunch but not rushing out to eat Russian anytime soon, we finished off with St Isaacs and the church of the spilled blood. Both huge and magnificent but different with tons of gold decoration and mosaic masterpieces and huge stone pillars. Our guide Constantine was top notch and went over the history and Tsar rulers but we couldn't concentrate. Sergei and Anatole our bus drivers didn't talk, as the Russians even the waitresses don't speak English unless they work in the souvenir shops. Boy were we glad to get back to princess for dinner. Billy and Colin even had two soups.
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