Days of travel are almost always a mix of ups and downs. I am thankful for both because they create some of the best stories… Even if they make you hate the world for a short time, tamper with your mood, or alter your perspectives or opinions.
After my post yesterday I decided that St Petersburg could maybe be a nice place to visit, if only a couple conditions were altered. One, way less crowds. Two, about 10 degrees cooler. Moral of the story, don’t come during the “white nights of summer” when it’s scorching and crowds are nuts. Oops. I seriously didn’t think it could get past 30 degrees in Russia. Did you? It’s cold, you know, fur hats and fur coats?!
Anyway, this morning started off pretty good… Nice breakfast, short walk in the shade, scenic river boat tour (though hot enough to fry an egg on your forehead), followed by one of the best ice coffee’s ever tasted.
Then, we 24-bused again (with payment this time) closer to our last sight, St Isaac’s cathedral, walked to it, stood in line, then learned Wednesday was the closing day. Meaning of all 3 days we were here, anything we chose to see was on its day off. Hermitage Monday- fail. Castle & summer garden Tuesday- fail, and cathedral Wednesday-fail. You may think that’s bad planning on our part, but maybe it’s bad on there part not to be open in busy season!
We laughed it off and went for a walk in the park instead before slugging back to the hotel in high heat, while dodging slow walkers and hot vehicle fumes.
The airport is outside the city with no real direct or single method of transit so we arranged a taxi with the hotel. It was a hot ride, but we made it in 30 minutes instead of the hour that was suggested and for about $30…..