142. Visitors from Louisiana

My parents visited me in St. Petersburg in late October, at the conclusion of a Russian river cruise. They flew from Louisiana (USA) to Moscow, did some sightseeing there, and then boarded a ship that stopped in several towns en route to St. Petersburg (Uglich, Yaroslavl, Kuzino, Kizhi Island, and the village of Mandrogi, I believe). The route took them up several rivers, a couple of lakes, and a dozen or more locks. It sounds like an exciting voyage, but I won't have enough vacation time to go on a similar trip myself (it takes a week or two, at minimum).

They were busy with shore excursions during their first three days and nights in St. Petersburg, which was fine as I had a busy and eventful week at work. I was surprised at how much they were able to see during those days - three branches of the Hermitage, three suburban palaces, a river cruise, and performances of Russian ballet and Cossack folk dancing.

I took a vacation day at the end of the week and we spent Friday and Saturday together. On the first day, we visited St. Isaac's Cathedral and Colonnade, the Peter and Paul Fortress (we saw the tombs of the tsars inside the Cathedral, and climbed the battlements - which I'd not visited before - to watch the sun set over the Neva River), and walked all around the city center. The next day, we visited the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (and saw a kayaking class on the Griboyedov Canal right outside), the State Russian Museum, and Yusupov Palace. We ate some outstanding meals on both days. It was fun showing them around my city, and hearing how their perceptions of Russia have changed since their previous visit to Moscow (of course, the country itself has changed quite a bit over the last few decades).