Sunday 5 September 2004

After breakfast we go for coffee and cakes at Sladkoezhka. We walk across the Palace Square and gaze at the Alexander Column opposite the Winter Palace. This 47.5m (156ft) high column is made out of one piece of solid granite. It was designed in 1834 by Montferrand in honour of Alexander I, the Czar who ruled Russia during the French invasion by Napoleon in 1813. The column is topped by a Arch Angel holding a cross in his hands. We continue towards the Summer Garden. This park is surrounded by a canal and a fence. It was designed for Peter the Great and later adapted for Catherine II. In the densely grown garden long and straight lanes are lined with classical statues. In a corner of the garden we find the Summer Palace, an uninspiring house dating back to 1710. We stroll leisurely through the garden, which is still fairly quiet this time of day. We end up at the Engineer Palace. This palace was built in 1800 as a residence for Czar Paul I, one of the few czars who did not live in the Winter Palace. Because of Paul's fears for assassinations the palace is surrounded by moats and ditches. Ironically enough the Czar was killed in his own bedroom in 1801. In 1819 the Army Engineers Corps Academy was housed here, hence its name. Since 1990 it is part of the Russian Museum and home to the Russian Portrait Gallery. From here we follow the Moika river, along the Field of Mars until the Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood and the souvenir market. We walk past it in the direction of Nevsky Prospekt. It is still fairly quiet, even here.  We return to the B&B via Nevsky Prospekt, where we see many groups of army cadets who study at one of the many military academies in the city.  

At noon our taxi is waiting to take us to the Airport. The driver only speaks Russian, so we do not have to worry about a good conversation. He asks us if we want to go to "Pulkovo-dva" (Airport Pulkovo-2) which indeed we do. We arrive there about half an hour later. We cannot check in right away. Before we can enter the building our baggage is checked. Then we have to wait until our flight is announced before we can join the line for the departure hall. We check in there and join another line for the passport control. This brings us into the transfer area, which has only one duty free shop (all prices in Euros), one tiny bar, a buffet and an unattractive restaurant. We have to wait yet again for our flight to be anounced before we can proceed to the gate and another check of our cabin baggage. At the gate we wait for boarding. 

In Copenhagen everything goes smoothly. Within an hour we have boarded our connecting flight to Amsterdam where we land around 5.20 pm. We collect our baggage around 5.55pm and catch the 6.16pm train to Rotterdam.