Damn tour groups

And so to the serious stuff - exploring St Petersburg and bizarre Russian cereal finished, we headed to the Petropavlosk Fortress - suposedly the only place to begin a St Petersburg odysey (so the guidebook says) Stepped out to discover things were a little fresh - thankful long trousers were chosen. Getting to the fortress involved a short walk, punctuated by exasperated chunnering along the way as we were barged out of the way - some just rude, most tour groups just getting in the way. Once on Hare Island, there were constant reminders of the Island's naming - hares everywhere (not real) & hoardes waiting for photo ops - gratuitous posing & lots of pouting. As we approached the cathedral, noticed a number of groups heading in a different direction & remembered the midday gun fire. Got there just in time for a bit of pomp & then to almost shit ourselves when the gun went off. Off to the museum of space exploration. Some good exhibits - particularly from Alexi Leonov but let down in 2 ways both of which understandable. Very hit & miss with the English translations - obscure stuff got them, soyuz & sputnik stuff didn't. Also it was very big on the minutia of rocket engines, which got a little boring even for me. The Gagarin stuff was very good though. Liz particularly liked sitting down & resting her aching limbs. By now hunger was a thing - no huge Finnish breakfasts. Nothing around the fortress & no snacks in of note. Decided to have a big lunch & if needed get something at the footie. Opted for the highly rated Brisket BBQ just around the corner - a slice of the states in the USSR. Probably didn't have anything this American in the whole time we were there. Very nice brisket & beef cheeks. Headed back stuffed & to prepare for a match Ruski style. Not sure what to expect.Read more