Russia is a completely infinite conglomeration of existences.  I don’t know how to else to put it.  The young meets the old.  The new meets the ancient.

The Soviet Union has gone through so much since Stalin’s consolidation of power in 1917 to the dissolution of the union in 1991.  Since that time, there has been an exploration in expression.  Not like in the USA.  But the Russians are a little more  demonstrative than ever before.

Well… not like I have EVER been here before.  But this is information I gathered from our Private Tour Guide.  Helen.

Helen the Queen of Gumption.  Helen “I know where you live” Tour Guide.  This woman KNOWS her way around St. Petersburg.  And because of this, we were able to see things that most tourists will never see. Eating in restaurants that only the locals are acquainted with.   She gave us the ins and outs of churches.  And incredibly….. a tour of Catherine’s Palace also called Elizabeth’s Palace…. with virtually no other people present.

But Helen would slap somebody down… anybody… who gets in the way of her job.  I was accosted by security when entering the Hermitage yesterday.  Helen jumped in, intervened…..  grabbed my arm…  and off we went.

Today, she nearly decked an able bodied door guard outside of an old pharmacy.  She really wanted us to gain access.  Helen gets what she wants.  She wanted to give us two days packed with Russian Culture and heritage.

I truly enjoyed every morsel of St. Petersburg.  It was exploration like I have never encountered before in my life.

But I must admit.  I was glad to get back through Russian Customs, and back on board.  I still say there is no place like home.  Even if home is on a big boat.  So.   We are now back out to see.  To see what we can see.

Next.  We are in Helsinki.  (It would make me feel a WHOLE lot better if it were called HelFLOATY… and not… Helsinki.)

“Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.” – B. Bradley