We went to the train station in the morning to buy our tickets to Moscow (by going back through Moscow we bypass Belarus and the evil visa). We took the Metro to the Peter and Paul Fortress. The rain beat down on us (and beat us down) and overall I was disappointed by the fortress. The prison (and torture chamber) was closed, there were no English brochures (plenty of French though so I pretended to translate it for our general amusement because we all know my French skills are worse than my Russian at this point). It was awful weather for walking along the walls (bastions?). The SS Peter and Paul Cathedral was interesting, but not because of the architecture or frescos. All of the Tsars since Peter the Great are buried there (they are actually in sepulchers though and not buried). Kri and I eavesdropped on some tour groups to learn a bit of Russian History:

Peter I (the Great) decided to build St. Petersburg in the early 18th century (on a swamp which is why I mosquito bitten). He was married but sent his first wife to Novodivichy Convent (we visited it in Moscow). He then married Catherine I. We aren’t sure if his first wife died, if he divorced her or if he was just a bigamist. (When told all of this I said “He couldn’t have been all that great if he sent his wife to a convent”). Their daughter was Elizabeth. I’m not sure who she was married to but she must have been a Tsarina because the Golden Eagles of the Tsar were on the corners of her Sepulcher (non-Tsar/Tsarina royalty don’t get the golden eagles but still get sepulchers). Sometime later came Peter II who was married to Catherine II. When Peter II died Catherine assumed the throne and added “The Great” to her name. Both Alexander I, II and Nicholas I are there as well as the remains of Nicholas II and his family which were moved from Yekaterinberg.

We wanted to see Lenin’s Rolls Royce which had been on display recently. It was in another location though (state secret). Very disappointing.

After dinner at a great Russian restaurant called Shuri-Muri (we ate caviar!!!) we went to Lyod’s Ice Bar. We each got a coat (with mittens and hood) as well as boots in the entrance room. We went in and it was amazing. The walls, ceiling, tables, bar, and bench were all made out of ice! There were flowers frozen into the tables and bottle frozen into the walls (I suppose hanging a picture on ice would be difficult). We had an amazing time dancing around. Ruan had a black Russian in an ice cup and I had hot mull wine!