Satellite
  • Day 12

    More general naughtiness on view.

    August 5, 2019 in Russia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Sarnies consumed, it was off for a walk, primarily to see the lighthouses on the other side of the river but also in an effort to get away from the endless traffic & enjoy the bizarre feeling of sunshine. Crossing the bridge to the lighthouses proved about the busiest stretch of the walk but offered views of the Hermitage & the bustling river traffic - mostly pleasure cruisers with the odd hydrofoil shuttle to Peterhof - each time I tried to get a photo of them mid foil they either throttled down or they were gone too quick - camera shy. The lighthouses were surprisingly big & rather like Finland, it seemed like all maintenance work is carried out en-masse in the summer 2 of the 3 cathedrals & the lighthouses were having work done. Walking back through the fortress - traffic free but not crowd free. Nice walk along the beach & got into a little political talk with former history lecturer - sales pitch for tours but interesting nonetheless. Couldn't quite square his take that Trump was a bit mad but Obama was a liar & warmonger. I guess when Putin owns the press... Back to the hotel & settled in my perch. Intrigued by some comings & goings outside our hotel. Eventually sussed that a car had blocked in a couple of people. They were not happy. Eventually managed to manoeuvre their way out. By way of a thank you they deflated not 1 but 2 of the cars tyres & all 3 spat on it. The Russian way... Couldn't wait see the response since the car was know parked in the middle of the road with 2 flat / soft tyres. All through cooking & eating tea we kept checking. Got distracted by planning getting to the station for the Moscow leg - looked out & it had gone. No beatings, guns or going after the tourists who saw what had happened & did nothing. Ah well off to the bizarre hidden maze of a supermarket to replenish stocks.Read more