Okay- I'm going to try to get a lot in here...
Another day in St Petersburg had a rather irksome start. Having got up (very) early to find somewhere for breakfast, my new Australian companion and I stumbled only upon a relatively expensive coffee shop. It wasn't bad at all, but on our return we discovered that our hostel provided breakfast free. Superb. Before we left the hostel, it also became apparent our visa information had to be sent to the company sortin our train tickets... just a touch of a kerfuffle.
Anyway, once all of this had been sorted, accompanied by honcho, we headed to the St Peter and Paul fortress. Another rather splendid structure, within which many other buildings are located, this was home to a rather famous prison from the days of yore - wandered past the actual cell in which Trotsky was incarcerated! More interesting bits and pieces followed, including vast amounts of history (all in russian) and a very nice chapel.
Food for the day was varied; I had some very strange hazelnut couscous sort of concoction. It sounds bizarre, and it was bizarre, though not unpleasant especially combined with a kiev! We also ventured to an establishment called 'Stollen', which had some delicious pies.
To top off the day which had already improved immeasurably, opera was on the menu- 'the enchanted wanderer', at the Mariinsky theatre. Cheap, exciting, very odd. All together, definitely an experience to remember!
Alas, the following day started in much the same way as the previous: visiting the printing museum turned out to be a bad move as it was closed. Damn the kooky Russian holidays. However, my honcho used his background to our advantage and we snuck into the Capella music hall to catch a full orchestral rehearsal!
Next on the agenda was souvenir hunting. Whilst generally this was abysmally unsuccessful, I found a russian doll (I can't remember the authentic term, heartfelt apologies) with the faces of Russian presidents and a Yuri Gagarin fridge magnet, which I deemed excellent purchases. It's also definitely worth mentioning my rabbit burger, topped with an egg. Phenomenal stuff, seriously!
All of this seemed a fitting if rushed end to my stay in St Petersburg- and indeed opening to the grand journey which is only just beginning! A suave audi ferried us from our hostel to the train station, adventure beckoning...
