Kultur shock, Kultur shock etc etc !

Standing on a bridge over the river Neva with The Winter Palace in the background (right)

In front of St Isaac's Cathedral

Well hello from Mother Russia. We touched down at St Petersburg Airport and went on a long taxi past some old Boeing 727 look-alike planes out of service and ended up at a relic of an airport terminal. No problem! Then after clearing immigration we went looking for the airport express bus downtown - no such animal! Instead we had three choices 1) Cab @ 38 Euros (~ 1,400 Roubles) 2) the K-13 minibus @ 24 or 27 Roubles (less than $Can 1) to the nearest Metro Station plus 22 Roubles ride pp into town, or 3) local bus to the Metro (13 roubles (~ 50c Can) - there being no local bus, but still being frugal we opt for the mini-bus. We pile in into this derelict looking mini-bus. I am sitting right behind the driver facing backwards. The doors close. Thus far no one has spoken a word. We set off. One passenger comes up behind the driver and profers a bunch of roubles, passing it forwards. In due course, all the while driving, his hand appears near me with the change and I hand it back to the passenger. Other passengers do the same. I likewise. In due course we stop at various stops, other people get on and the same routine is followed, still while driving! Eventually we reach the Metro Station so we get out, relieved to be unscathed, physically if not mentally. We then descend into the Metro, down some way to the ticket booth and purchase our tokens (22 roubles x 2= 44 Roubles - about Can$ 1.30) put the tokens in the slot and pass onto the escalator and descend forever and ever, it seems, into the bowels of the earth (turns out that the St Petersburg Metro is the deepest in the world) where we end up in this long hall that also seems to go on for ever. We confirm that we are headed to Nevsky (say knee-yevsky) Prospekt, which we are. There are these elevator-like double doors on either side of this long hall - Strange! we think - then there is a "whooshing sound", the doors open and there in front of us is a subway car - so we get in, and start counting the 7 stops to our destination. A nice Russian man, seeing us clutching our map and guide book, makes sure we are on the right track - Spasiba, I say - he smiles, but as he gets off before us he delegates a lady with a little boy to look after us - "Kanada" I say, to explain all! Well, whadya know - we made it to Nevsky Prospekt Metro Station. The subway looks like a throw-back to the turn of the century (I'm talking 19th/20th century here!) A very helpful lady in the City Tourist Info desk at the Airport, besides telling about the buses, also told us to look for "Kanal Griboedova" exit which sets us in the correct direction towards our hostel which we find with no trouble. Here beginneth another adventure that I'll mention another time. In the meantime enjoy a couple of nice photos from our first walkabout - of St Isaac's Cathedral and The Winter Palace of the State Hermitage Museum