Sunday 15 May 2011

Welcome to the „Golden City St. Petersburg”

Bathed in sunshine St. Petersburg welcomed us in the morning. Our docking place on the Neva River not too far from the Heritage in the vicinity of one of the classical Russian Orthodox Churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The guests in the Panorama Lounge enjoyed spectacular views towards Menshikov Palace, the Admiralty, the tower of Peter & Paul fortress, gilded onion shaped cupolas of Russian Orthodox Churches elegant houses and avenues in pastel colors.








Two days we would spend in this northern city on the Neva, two days offering a vast variety of excursions and cultural experiences. Today’s program featured a Panoramic City Tour with photo stops at famous places such as the St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Cruiser Aurora and the General Naval Museum. An afternoon cruise along the waterways of St. Petersburg gave us an inside view and reminded many of our guests on Venice or Amsterdam. A highlight was also the visit to the Peter and St. Paul Fortress; resting place of the Tsars. Guests attending a full day excursion visited the Yusupovsky Palace, home of the noble owners, the Yusupov Princes, the tour continued to Palace Peterhof with its beautiful garden and fountains.

The evening highlight aboard our ship was a classical concert with the ensemble of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. The repertoire included Tchaikovsky, Chatschaturjan and Dvorak amongst many more.