Day 26 - St Petersburg

Still feeling rotten, asked the girl at reception to write down in Russian "flu medicine" so I could go to a pharmacy later.
Had a decent breakfast, then on the bus to the Hermitage museum. When we arrived in the main square the military band was still going from yesterday.
Queued up for about 20 minutes, then in.
It's impossible to do the place justice here, it's huge. We skipped the Egyptian and Greek antiquities since we'd been to Athens, and went straight for the European art. Took in some Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Pissaro, Signac. The rooms themselves were works of art - huge chandeliers, decorated walls and ceilings, gold everywhere. There were beautiful green and blue malachite vases and tables.
The place was very busy but we managed to see the main things - including the 2 Da Vinci paintings.
The place was a maze, and we found ourselves back tracking a few times, then headed upstairs to more impressionists and other European art. There was hardly anyone on this floor, but there were paintings by Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso. At one stage Song and I had the Picasso gallery to ourselves. I was still not well, took most of the opportunities to sit down. I ached, had a headache and my nose couldn't decide whether to be blocked or running.
The upper level started to fill up with Japanese tour groups playing "my camera is bigger than yours" so we went downstairs.
Decided to have a whiz through the Egyptian area because the book said that the rooms were worth seeing.
Had a peep at the vases and other artifacts, found a tablet with hieroglyphics that I managed to translate a bit of :
"Day 7 - Cairo
Woke up at the 6th bell, down to breakfast of goat's cheese and camel meat... "
Decided we'd been on the go for a while, we went in at 10:50 and it was now 16:30, time to leave.
They don't allow food and drink inside so our first stop was to get something to eat. We didn't want to go somewhere too close to the museum so headed down the main street and saw a place that was pretty busy and right next to the bus stop so tried it.
I had beef stroganoff, Song had a fish salad to start and salmon for main. Song said hers was very good, I couldn't really taste mine.
They also had lots of cakes, but I couldn't face one but I promised the chocolate one I'd come back for it tomorrow.
Bus was packed, got off and went to a pharmacy for some drugs. I handed the piece of paper to the most miserable female assistant who sighed and dug out some medicine. I said I only wanted one of the 2 things, but she rang up both anyway. Tried again and she got the message, sighed again and pointed to the display.
Back to the hotel for a well-earned rest.
Walked 7.69 Km according to fitbit, but I reckon it's lying.

Day 25 - St Petersburg

Woke up around 8, didn't sleep very well, still had a temperature and headache. Breakfast was good, the usual fare. Caught a bus to the main square again, which was empty because the hermitage was closed, so got some good photos.
Walked over a bridge to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Another Sunny day, about 10C but warming up.
Fancied a cup of coffee so found a cafe, which fortunately had a menu outside which informed us a latte cost around $8. Decided I wasn't that desperate so walked through a park heading to a main road when Song spotted a cafe built into a grotto. It turned out this was a great find - number 39 in Tripadvisor and wonderful. We both had a home made pastry (still hot from the oven) and I had a large latte, all for about $9. What's more, the coffee tasted like coffee and not warm water that had once had a coffee bean dipped in it. As good as a Melbourne coffee.
Went into the Peter and Paul Fortress, bought a ticket for the cathedral and jail, and I wanted to visit the space exploration museum but it was closed for renovations, so I was pretty disappointed.
The cathedral was small, but had plenty of gold to make up for it. It is also the place where all the Russian Tsars were buried. There are the tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Bob the pretty average.
I'm sure Putin has a spot marked out for himself.
Didn't spend too long inside, then went to the jail, known as the Russian Bastille, where they used to house political prisoners up to the 1920s.
It was interesting, but a bit of a con because it was 2 floors of identical cells, so once we'd seen one or two the rest held no interest. I have to say, the cells were pretty generous in size, I estimated about 6m by 3.5m. Not that I'd like to have stayed there, but they were roomy for a prison cell.
Wandered around the fortress for a bit longer, then out for something to eat.
Found a place from the Lonely Planet book again, traditional Georgian food.
We ordered a traditional Georgian salad (lettuce, cucumber, spring onion and a vinaigrette dressing) and a bread filled with cheese, spinach and greens. Both were good.
For main Song had Georgian sausage which came with a salad and soggy chips (most of which I ate). I had a traditional dish of chicken pieces with spices served in a pot with a sauce that was like ratatouille. Again, both were good. Despite being a bit under the weather, I had a local beer.
Sat there for a while then headed out, walking back towards the hotel.
Found ourselves back at the main square and there was a bit of a crowd. It turned out there was a full blown old style Soviet military parade going on, complete with thousands of leg-lifting, arm-swinging marching soldiers, a huge military band, armoured vehicles, rocket launchers, a choir and old men in big hats with lots of gold braid. Not sure what it was in aid of, but it was impressive and not something you see every day.
We left feeling in the mood to annex a former member state, but instead got on the bus back to the hotel.
Walked 14.39 km today.
Hermitage museum tomorrow.

Day 24 - St Petersburg

Last leg of the trip; St Petersburg, Moscow and Dubai the only stops now.
Up at 04:45, across to the station and onto the train. Wifi and power points, so watched some downloads. There wasn't much scenery. Trip took 3.3 hrs and we had our passports checked 3 times.
Lost another hour with a time zone change.
We were going to get a pick up by the hotel, but they wanted to charge $30, so we decided to use public transport. Apparently the taxis can be a bit dodgy, and there is also a tradition of flagging down any car and asking the driver to take you somewhere for a price, but we weren't game to try that.
We took the metro, down the longest escalator I've ever seen, I half expected to end up back in Melbourne. There was a stern lady in a booth at the top and bottom of the escalator (not the same one I think), whose job, it appeared, was to sit there and stare at the people and some CCTV screens all day. No wonder they looked miserable.
They did have a jaunty red hat though, so they had that going for them.
Outside the metro we asked a taxi driver how much to our hotel, he said 300 Roubles (about $9), Song offered 200, he declined so we got on a tram and hoped it was going the right way. Luckily they still employ conductors so I was able to point at the map, to which she replied "da", which means "yes".
I actually studied Russian for 2 years at high school, and "da" is about all I remember. To be fair, it was 30 years ago. I can still read Cyrillic though, so hopefully won't mistake "restaurant" for "Mafia den".
Got off at the nearest stop and dragged the cases up the worst street so far - past a couple of abandoned cars, people smoking in doorways, a woman drinking beer from a large bottle and a dead pigeon.
Luckily the room was ready so we could collapse for a while. The hotel was quite trendy - the walls of the corridors were decorated in what I believe youngsters call "street art".
Rested for a few minutes, and still feeling a bit woozy, headed out and opened the lonely planet map, and immediately discovered we had a lot to see. Weather was good - clear skies and about 17C.
Went into the Grand Choral Synagogue, walked past the Mariinsky Theatre, then along a canal, past the Yusopov Palace. Took some photos of Saint Isaac's Cathedral (didn't go in), round the corner to the Bronze Horseman, past the Admiralty, took pictures over the river of the Academy of Arts Museum, the Menshikov Palace, the Kunstkamera and the Rostral Columns. Ambled a bit more and came to the side of the Winter Palace and the Hermitage (I think it's the same thing) , into Palace Square, photos of Alexander Column, through the Triumphal Arch and into Nevsky Prospect. And this was all before lunch.
Found a place in the Lonely Planet guide and sat down in a heap. The waitress took us through the menu then said the magic words - all you can eat buffet. Now I like a challenge, so we went for one of those each. My strategy was to try a small piece of everything to determine what was edible and what was "a local delicacy", which I have found to mean "crap we can palm off on tourists".
Once I'd found what I liked, it was back to the buffet to load up on the nice things, elbowing the other customers out of the way.
Disappointed there was no dessert included, we finished up and went out again. Past the Singer building and down to the Church on the Spilled Blood, perhaps one of the most recognisable buildings in St Petersburg. Decided to go in, and were rewarded with an interior decorated completely in mosaic. Very impressive. It was a lot warmer now so managed to take off the jacket and just wear a t shirt.
Out of the church and made the bad decision to get a cup of coffee from a street vendor - a very small, watery, bitter latte for $4.
Sat in a park, looking at the Russian Museum, then past the Armenian Church of Saint Catherine, into another park to see a Statue of Catherine the Great.
Having now seen more sights in a day than in the last week, we felt a bit fatigued and decided to head back. Luckily we were on the right street to catch the tram so stood at what we thought was the tram stop and waited. 20 minutes later and no sign of a tram we flagged down the first bus that passed and did the pointing at the map trick again which solicited a "da", so we were happy.
A quick trip to the supermarket for supplies then back to the hotel.
Didn't wear the fitbit again today but we walked a long way.
I looked at some photos that Song had taken and there was some fat bloke in a lot of them. So despite all the walking I seemed to be balancing it out with the food intake.
Haven't decided what to do tomorrow yet, but the plan for tonight is to sleep a lot.

Day 23 - Tallinn and Helsinki

Had a temperature during the night and didn't sleep very well plus had a sore throat and ached a bit, felt like the flu. A bit annoying because I had a flu injection before we left.
Down to breakfast, not bad, then back to the room to pack up. We left the bags and went into the old town again. Took more photos, then on to the ferry to Helsinki. 2.5 hr trip, passed by watching some Tv downloads.
Hopped on a tram to the hotel then went out for dinner. We soon discovered Helsinki is expensive - we went to a tapas restaurant which was about number 14 in Tripadvisor, and a set menu for one was around 40 Euro. We decided to pass, then found another tapas place called Bar Celona (I see what they did there). We had 3 dishes each and that was over 12 Euro each. Pretty pricey for what we got, but the quality was good. Despite being number 605 out of 686 restaurants in Helsinki.
I was still feeling a bit rough, coughing and with a headache.
Wandered back to the hotel via a supermarket - we leave on the 06:12 train in the morning so got some supplies for the trip. We walked through the train station - it was a very good example of Art Deco architecture. We didn't have much time in Helsinki, but to be honest I don't think there is a lot to see.
For some reason we were given a hotel room designed for a wheelchair, so it was a bit bigger than a normal room and had a bath, which was just what I needed in my condition.
Train to Saint Petersburg tomorrow, have to get up at 04:30.

Day 22 - Tallinn

First people at breakfast, loaded up then dragged the cases to the bus station. I do wish the Europeans would move on from cobblestones, they look nice but are murder to pull cases along. 4.5 hour trip on the bus, went quickly as I watched some downloaded Tv shows. The buses in Europe are really good - this one had a toilet, a free coffee machine, power points and wifi.
The scenery was mainly pine trees with a couple of lakes.
Got off the bus and decided to walk to the hotel instead of getting the tram, it was about 2 km.
I'm used to not knowing what day it is when travelling because the concept of a weekend loses its meaning - but I think I've been on the road a bit too long because I didn't know what country we were in. I thought we were still in Latvia, but we were now in Estonia. It doesn't help that there are no borders any more either, so you've no idea when you go from one country to another.
Checked into the hotel, then out to explore the town. Turned around and went back in to get Song's coat because it was pretty cold.
We were right between the old town and the new one, so went into the old one.
The walls and buildings were noticeably older than the other places we've been. The sun was shining but it was a lot colder than anywhere else so far.
Ambled around for a while,  taking photos. Some of the old city walls were still there, with impressive towers topped in orange tiles. I took photos. Again. There weren't too many tourists around.
Decided to get an early dinner, so went to the number one restaurant in Tallin.
I had oven baked goat's cheese which was served on a layer of  finely chopped capsicum and came with a cream sauce. It was very good. Song had a smoked fish salad. For main Song had grilled pork with potato and roast apple and pear. I had braised elk with pureed potato, carrot and a smoked wine sauce. I can honestly say it was the best braised elk I have ever had. Actually it was good, sort of like beef but with a slightly stronger taste. For the first time on the trip we also had dessert. Song had a sea buckthorn tart (no, we hadn't heard of it either). I had a chocolate pudding with ice cream. Mine was nice,  but nothing special. I also had a beer.
Still plenty of light left in the day this far North, we grabbed the map and did a whirlwind tour of the old town. Some buildings dating back to the 1300's, still in good condition  (relatively), the inevitable churches dotted around, and the Town Square.
Having seen just about everything, walked back to the hotel. Song relaxed in the room and I went out again to get the ferry tickets to Helsinki for tomorrow, we leave at 13:30 so don't have to rush.
Back at the hotel and I've picked up a sore throat - one or both of us always seem to pick up a bug when we travel. I hoped this wouldn't develop into something worse.
Don't know how far we walked today, I left my fitbit in the room, but I suspect it was around 6 Km.
Ferry to Helsinki tomorrow.

Impressions of Riga

Riga is quite small, so while it appeared that there was not a lot to see, in fact there are some interesting sights and the day and a half we spent here enabled us to visit pretty much everything without rushing. It's a very pretty and clean place, and although a lot of the buildings are not original having been rebuilt after the war, they've kept the same designs so look good. There was no graffiti, and the people were well dressed to the point of formal. I saw a lot of men in suits and elegantly dressed women, so I wondered if there was something going on I didn't know about.
I didn't know anything about Riga before we came (and apparently it's the city of culture 2014), and I found it to be vibrant and not as I imagined, which was a severe East European ex-Soviet city. There was no evidence of the huge square concrete buildings we saw in Romania, so either they didn't build any in the city or they pulled them down as soon as they could.
The city looks prosperous, and they are the most recent country to take on the Euro (January 2014). We went into 3 reasonably sized shopping malls, all looked recently built and were full of people.
If you fancy somewhere off the beaten track a bit, I'd recommend Riga, but probably come a bit later when it's warmer.

Day 21 - Riga

Up at 8, down to breakfast, and a good selection. Sticking to my principal of "I've paid for it, I'm going to eat it“, had toast, muesli, a pastry, coffee, orange juice (2), egg,  bacon and sausage. I couldn't see over my plate to see what Song had.
Outside the sun was shining but it was cold, 5C according to Google but felt colder to me. We went back to St. Peter's church and went inside - very empty compared to other churches we've been in. The walls were bare brick and only a few icons. Went up the tower, with the aid of a lift, and got some good photos of the city but it was very cold up there in the wind. The building was virtually destroyed during the war and rebuilt in 1973 to the same design. It seems a lot of Riga was damaged during the war but they've rebuilt the historic buildings.
Walked about a bit visiting the sights marked on the map then decided to visit a cafe to warm up and use wifi.
Out and up the road to the Freedom Monument, then into yet another church, this one had paintings on the ceilings and walls. Next up was a walk around the Art Nouveau area. Apparently Riga has some of the best Art Nouveau buildings. I would have to agree - some absolutely beautiful and stunning apartment blocks. I took some photos. As far as I know there were none that we could go inside, which was a pity.
After this we carried on walking, heading to the market. The map said it was on the other side of the town, but the distances the map showed were exaggerated and getting from one place to another didn't take as long as it looked. It had warmed up, but still needed the jacket.
Walked through the city to the market, and it was huge. Some of it was outside, but the bulk of it was in 4 old Zeppelin hangars. I think it's the biggest market I've ever seen.
Finished wandering, back to the hotel for a rest before dinner.
Same place as the day before, I had scallops to start and butterfish with roasted vegetables, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes - an unusual combination but it worked. Also had a beer. Song had salad with goat's cheese for starter and seafood pasta for main. Both were very good again.
Walked to the supermarket to pick up some nibbles for the 4.5 hour bus trip tomorrow, then back to the hotel to collapse. Walked 14.57 Km today.

Day 20 - Riga

Up at 07:00, down to breakfast and filled up, had just about everything on offer. Despite the hotel being disappointing generally, I have to say the breakfast was good.
Bus to the airport, 1.5 hr flight to Riga then another bus to the hotel. The weather was still great, sun shining, but noticeably colder.
Plopped down in the hotel for a while then out for a walk. The time was about 17:00, we'd lost an hour by going across a time zone.
Riga is quite small, and the map we had made things look a long way away, but we found ourselves right in the main square quite quickly. We decided not to explore too much because we have another full day tomorrow.  A lot of the buildings were destroyed during the war,  but have been rebuilt. So they look really good if not original. We found a restaurant mentioned in TripAdvisor which looked nice and had dinner.  I ordered a Caesar salad with smoked chicken to start and Song went for cream of vegetable soup. Both dishes were excellent. For main I had lamb shank cooked in the oven and Song had Confit of duck with roasted vegetables. Again, both were really good. We've not been too lucky with meals this trip, usually we find we can pick decent restaurants even if we stumble upon them, but so far we've not had a really good meal. This was though, and because we were impressed we booked a table for the following night.
Wandered down to the shopping centre and bought some groceries, then back to the hotel.
A full day in Riga tomorrow,  there are some things we can look at in more detail, or if we find we have some time on our hands we could have a sauna or I might go to the movies.
Only walked 6.2 km today.

Day 19 - Krakow and Warsaw

Woke up around 07:30 but by the time we'd packed up and got ready was about 09:00. Walked outside into a perfect day - sunshine, blue sky and about 22C.
Skipped breakfast so that we could get to the castle early and beat the crowds - the square was empty again, it seems most tourists are late risers. Dashed past a tour group going up the hill and got tickets straight away. There were a few people waiting for it to open but we didn't have to wait long. The painting was in a small room, so we stood there looking at it for a couple of minutes then went outside to read the blurb about it. After learning a bit more about the painting went back in to have another look, and every one else had gone. So it was just me, Song and a security guard and the Da Vinci painting. Amazing. Stared for a few more minutes then left. Went into an exhibition of Oriental Art but it was quite small and mainly carpets and pots so felt a bit let down, but again we were the only people in it.
Left the castle via some catacombs down a spiral staircase, stopped to have a photo taken at a fire breathing dragon, then back to the main square for brunch. I ordered the English breakfast, Song ordered the chef's special then we swapped because we each thought the other's looked better. I think I got the best end of the deal; it was bacon, egg, tomato, lettuce in a bun.
Dash back to the hotel to check out, left the bags there and went over the road to the train station which also housed a huge shopping mall. It had been shut over Easter and now it was like a new world - lots of people and all the shops open. Sat down for an ice cream - they like their ice cream here - and used the wifi. Almost every cafe, restaurant, hotel and train station in Europe has free wifi; it's about time Melbourne and places like Chadstone had it.
Got on the train, found our compartment, and would you know it, there was a couple with a baby in it. Not content with plaguing me on planes, they've now discovered that I also use the train. When we got in it was asleep, and I hoped it would stay that way for the next three hours.
Yeah, that didn't last long. Wasn't too bad, and I put my earphones on and watched some Tv.
The Warsaw hotel was just down the road from the station so didn't take long to get there. It was around 18:00 so checked in and walked into the old town. Warsaw was only intended to be a transport stop, we catch a plane to Riga tomorrow morning.
It was still very warm and lots of people around. The town square was very nice, some old decorated buildings and restaurants around the edge. Didn't stay long and walked back to the hotel. It was a 5 star joint, but not very good at all - if we wanted internet in the room we had to pay extra, the service was poor (we had to take our bags to the room ourselves) and the shower was a hose connected to the tap and there was no pressure. I'm not trying to sound precious, but when you pay for a 5 star hotel you should get the service and facilities. Bad review coming up.
Anyway, breakfast is included so we'll go mad. Walked 17.23 km today.
Flying to Riga tomorrow.

Day 18 - Krakow

Woke up around 07:30 to bright sunshine, temperature about 9C but supposed to get to 20 later. Left the jacket behind and went with a fashionable jumper over T shirt combo.
Walked 10 minutes to the main square for breakfast, not as many people around so got some good photos in the sun with no crowds. Sat in a restaurant in the square for breakfast; I had the French one again of croissants and jam, Song had the English with eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms. All for about $15, which was pretty good for such a tourist spot.
There are lots of tour places offering visits to Auschwitz, but we didn't really fancy that, and to me it's not something that should be a tourist attraction.
Walked to the Warwel Castle , up a bit of a hill, but there were good views across the river.
We'd mainly come to see a Da Vinci painting, but that part was closed on Mondays so we decided to change our train ticket to Warsaw to a later time and come back the next day to see the painting - there aren't too many Da Vinci paintings around so need to take the opportunity when you can. In the meantime 2 exhibitions were open and were free, so as we never look a gift horse in the mouth, took up the offer. One exhibition was of the old castle, the original 14th century ruins. The other was of weapons and armour very similar to what we'd seen before in Prague so were glad we didn't pay for it.
The castle itself was impressive, similar to Prague - it housed a cathedral and several other buildings, but not as big as Prague.
Had a look around the cathedral, which was ok as far as cathedrals go.
Walked back down to the main square, T shirt weather now, around 20C, and stopped in a touristy place for lunch. Song had a traditional Krakow salad with sausage, I had the Cracow special of pork and bacon, and I've no idea why Krakow was spelt differently on the same menu. I also had a beer, continuing my quest to have a beer at every stop (although I failed in Romania, one day we were too busy, the others it was too cold). Both meals were about $9 each, again quite cheap for where we are. Had a stroll through the Cloth Hall in the main square which was closed yesterday, and was now selling jewellery and souvenirs, so Song was happy. Went back to the hotel to relax for a bit and to pick up the passport so Song could buy some jewellery and get the tax back. Weather still mild and lots of people around. While Song was in a jewelers I saw an ice cream shop that had a big queue so thought it must be good. It was, and it was cheap too, $3.50 for 2 cones with 2 scoops.
Went back to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow we're going back to the castle to look at the Da Vinci painting then getting the train to Warsaw.
Walked 11.92 Km today.

Day 17 - Krakow

This is the half way point of our trip.
Didn't sleep well, the bed was a bit small and the motion of the train was like being on a plane experiencing constant turbulence. Still, it was better than just a seat. Train arrived at 06:30 and the hotel was just around the corner from the station. As usual, Song did a brilliant job with the booking - a really good hotel right near the attractions and the transport,  in this case just over the road from the station.
Couldn't check in till 15:00 which was a bit of a blow because I was hoping to have a shower, feeling a bit icky. Dropped the cases and trundled down the road to the market square. The sky was overcast and it was cold, about 7C. It was about 07:00 and Easter Sunday and everything was closed, we hoped stuff would start to open otherwise it would make for a boring day. Song was hungry and I was feeling jet lagged (or train lagged) so the sooner we could find somewhere to sit and eat the better. Found the market square and the cafes were closed but with signs of activity - yay! They didn't open until 08:00 so did a circuit of the square and by the time we'd finished it was 08:00 so we practically kicked in the door of the first one we saw. I ordered a French breakfast - 2 croissants with jam and coffee that came with the world's smallest milk jug and was virtually black but I needed it to wake me up. Song ordered eggs, ham and cheese and tea. Settled into an armchair and decided to see how long we could stay before the staff gave us dirty looks. We could see the sun had now come out but were still reluctant to leave too soon. Ordered another tea and coffee when we could see the staff talking amongst themselves and pointing at us.
Finally left the cafe and exited into the main square where the sun was shining and crowds were buzzing, the cafes all open.
Walked down to the Jewish quarter, visited a Jewish cemetery that had been destroyed during the war by the Nazis but was rebuilt. The walls had been made up of the broken tombstones.
We carried on and made our way across a bridge to the old town. There wasn't much to see as far as we could tell. Hopped on a tram back to the main square where the market stalls were in full swing and crowds were filling the restaurants, a big change from when we arrived when it was empty. Had a local sausage each from a stall then walked back to the hotel via the Barbican gate and checked in at around 13:00. The room was very modern - a Samsung tablet that controlled the heating, Tv and lighting. I had great fun turning the toilet light on and off. Song wasn't as amused as I was.
Decided we were too tired to go out again so chilled out in the room playing with the lights. Walked 11.91 Km today.