St Petersburg

We chose to catch the train from Moscow to St Petersburg to save on a nights accommodation and for the experience. Leaving Moscow at midnight and getting into the station at 8am. It was interesting sleeping on a train as I am quite tall and found it hard to get comfortable on the bunk but managed to get some sleep, and it was a nice change from hanging around airports.



We were fortunate enough to be able to check into our hotel on arrival and a hot shower fixed all. The day consisted of much sight seeing, the highlight being a boat tour up river and around the canals that course through the city. Well worth it as you get a totally different perspective of this beautiful city. Lunch consisted of bad sushi on Nevsky Prospt, the main drag. Fish was not fresh and took ages to arrive. Majority of wait staff were young russians and not interested. As an owner of a restaurant and a customer I found this very disappointing. Great people watching, however. Dinner on the other hand was a total delight.
Sadko Restaurant
This restaurant was awesome with a bunker-type feel, dark sage walls and ceilings decorated with hand painted garlands and huge red glass chandeliers with flowers throughout. White show plates with matching flower designs. Wow, over the top but loved it. we tried red cavier and blinis; the russian dumplings and paroshki, and shared a main of chicken Kiev. All were superb and wait staff were awesome. They all spoke a little english and were great at their job; was refreshing after our lunch experience.
Fashion spotting in St P is as incredible as Moscow. Today's best was a leopard skin mini and top with humungeous gold bag and 8 inch bling bling heels...sorry dear reader, I couldn't get a photo. Boys with very bad mullets and shinny suits still being sighted.

Hermitage
This building is impressive when approached from across the square. When entered you are overwhelmed by the shear size and grandeur of it all. We only spent the afternoon there, but a day or two would be more appropriate. You do find it mind blowing to say the least. Never have I seen so many masters in one space and so much of their work. Rubens, Renoir, Rembrandt, van Dyke, Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso and many more.



Dinner tonight at a French restaurant:
Kukhnina
Truly lovely french feel, furniture and fit out with easy listening fench music played throughout the night. The food was superb....grilled goats cheese on top of a poached pear with salad of pear and mixed leaves. Followed by crab ravioli with a smidgeon of homemade tomato sauce, atop a pea purree. Ricotta ravioli with spinach followed by rib-eye steak bernaise and fat chips. Then a divine chocolate fondant pudding. All cooked to perfection. It was sad to see such a nice restaurant serving such great food so quiet patron-wise. I wonder if it's because of the location, slightly of the tourist track, or maybe we caught it on a wacky night, which sometimes happens to us poor restaurant folk without rhyme or reason.

Peterhof palace
We took a hydrofoil out to the Peterhof. The parkland is truly beautiful with many fountains in front of the palace. After walking around for a while gobsmacked by the beauty and excess, we had brunch at one of the palace cafes; Salmon dumplings with sour cream, chicken schnitzel and greek salad. Interesting to note that they use cream cheese cubes instead of feta. After lunch we had a looksey through the palace. Truly over the top. Restoration of this palace is amazing as the Nazis totally trashed it during the war.



Dinner Italian:
da Vinci
spagetti Carbonara, veal canneloni and greek salad again...all ok. The highlight of the evening was cocktails at the hotel Astoria. This place has a lot of history and many famous guests, including Rasputin. Public areas are stunning and the nightscape onto the square is very pretty.