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I woke up, yet again on a moving train at 5:30am and proceeded to go around and wake up my fifteen passengers and tell them to get ready to get off the train.
We arrived in at St Petersburg at 6:30am, I took them straight onto the metro and then went four stops to Baltinskaya station. After that it was approximately a 1km walk with all the bags to hotel Azimut. The hotel was crowded and the rooms were not ready this early in the morning, so I got the passengers to store their luggage and then go out and hunt up breakfast.
I arranged to meet them in the sky bar and then gave a little talk about the orientation tour and about St Petersburg in general. We then set off up the road, we got just past the Victory church and it started pelting down with rain, and I do mean pelting down. It was a mad scramble to get into a nearby café and we were then trapped in there for about an hour waiting for the rain to easy off.
Some people decided not to continue on, I wished I could have been one of them as I was only wearing a T shirt and shorts and it was now freezing. Luckily, Moy offered me his umbrella, which kept me dry and which I could also use as a windbreak. A few more minutes into it and I think I was so cold I was numb anyway. I did, finally get to look like a walking stereo type with the umbrella. Follow my umbrella everyone, I joked with the group and managed to get a few laughs in the miserable situation.
I managed to get everyone that was left up to the Church of the Spilled Blood, where I let them go for lunch. I proceeded to find an English pub where I could have fish and chips for lunch and nearly all the passengers seemed to find me in there. Seriously, out of all the restaurants in St Petersburg. Small world.
After I finished my lunch, I raced off to buy metro tokens to give to the passengers, so they could get back from the Hermitage, which is our included excursion for the day. I then raced over to the Hermitage to buy the tickets and organize the guide for my next tour in July.
I got all this organized and went and picked up the group under the Alexander column and led them inside. Once there, I spent ages looking for the stupid guide, who was not in the same place she had been last time. Honestly, I'm not sure what the point of training is, if everything changes every time!
I gladly handed the group over to our guide, who was approximately 4 feet tall, about seventy five years old, with blond hair. All the group looked at her like, You've got to be kidding, and then were amazed at how she charged off into the Hermitage. At times I think they had trouble keeping up with her! I was in awe of this lady who must have seen so much in her life time. At her age she would have seen the rise and fall of communism, remember the deportations to Siberia and remember life under Stalin. I would have loved to have a coffee and a chat with her sometimes. I'm always fascinated by people who were able to witness history like that.
The Hermitage visit lasted for about two hours, then the group were free to do as they pleased and at last after the tour day from hell, I was free to go back to the hotel. Unfortunately, for me I had to stop by the big supermarket near the station first as it's the only place on the trip where I can get my hair dye and I was definitely starting to look a bit scruffy. So when I finally returned to the hotel, I had to motivate myself to do my hair. After that, I collapsed into my bed into a deep dreamless sleep.
- comments
Mum I'm proud to hear that you appreciate the wisdom of the elderly and not pass them off as "past their use by date."
Christine Yes, you are wise indeed...... ...and all that knowledge that you are picking up , as life shows you it's bounty ! Well done, Kristina!