St. Petersburg, Russia ~ Hermitage / Winter Palace

So... The one city that I was over the moon excited for and had such high expectations for had let me down. I would like to think that had I visited this city before Moscow, my opinions might have been different but who knows. 

We left the kids on the ship in the skids club and took to St. Petersburg on our own. We had two days here so we decided to give the kids a break from the walking and churches :-)

I should have known the day would go south when we had issues with our visa's in passport control. I was asked point blank if my visa was a fake. The agent could not grasp that an American would willingly be in Yuzhno I guess. He kept asking why I was there and what I was doing. Meanwhile, Will is in the booth on the other side going through the same hassle. Except, his agent didn't like the "I work there" story because she basically claimed he was lying stating he looked Military so he must be. Talk about sweating bullets.... Good thing we didn't have the kids with us because that would have added so much more stress after a few different people coming and checking the Visa over and over again we got through. Apparently our Visa for Yuzhno is not an open visa and only allows us to be there. Not sure how much I believe that because you can only have one Russian Visa at a time. We are on a work visa and therefore can not obtain a tourist visa. I could be wrong but I thought a work visa held more weight than a tourist visa? 

Oh well, we got in. Time to explore before they say we can be here!!! First stop was the Hermitage Museum / Winter Palace. The weather was horrible as well so that also added to the miserable state of being. The architecture was beautiful but all the buildings looked the same. Random buildings were just as elaborate looking as the palace. Everything was painted in different hues of pastel greens, blues, yellows, and pinks. 

Don't get me wrong it is a gorgeous building and its not everyday anyone can say they have been to the Czar's Winter Palace - They were setting up for some strange rollerblading race and celebration of some sort so Alexander Square was packed with trucks setting up stages and fences. Really put a damper on my grand picture taking....

The first couple of rooms were dedicated to the indigenous peoples of Russia, Mongols, Middle East and India

Pretty staircase with Greco-Roman sculptures

I need this wine vat in my house!!

Another carriage for the Czar children

One of Catherine I (Second wife of Peter the Great) gowns

I was blown away by the ceilings in this place. All so different and beautiful

One of the many Malachite rooms. Malachite is largely mined in Russia. Very common to see furnishings designed with this mineral.

Golden Harp Room

Nicholas II Library

One of the Romanov children's bedrooms

Peter the Great's memorial throne

Great Ball Room

This hallway was lined with painted portraits of past Czars and Russian nobility

Palace Chapel

Stunning chapel. The gold embellishments were a bit overwhelming but very beautiful 

St. George's Hall - Largest room in the Winter Palace and seated the Czars of Russia

More views of Alexander Square and Winter Palace

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn from our balcony. Such a cool city with it's medieval roots still standing.

Tallinn's Old Town has gained a spot on UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is one of the best kept, intact, and preserved Medieval cities in all of Europe.

We started in the Upper City of Old Town known as Toompea. This was a fortified Castle on a hill that overlooked the rest of the city. The walls still stand as well as some castle towers. 

Estonian Parliament Building

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Russian Orthodox

In the courtyard on the side of the Parliament building. The tower is called Pikk Hermann and is part of the once standing Toompea Castle and provided the perfect backdrop for my lovely family above and the growing family at the bottom. Connor Thomas Fry coming September 2016!

Walking through the streets of Upper City. I love the cobblestone roads and the old feeling this city gave. With the exception of the new fancy cars, you could actually envision the old life of this city. 

Cathedral Church of St. Mary

I just started taking pictures of everything I was seeing. The whole town was gorgeous. 

Views from the castle walls overlooking the lower city

CJ and Ash needed a picture with this guy!

The tall pointed building with the green roof is St Olaf's Church and dates back to the 12th century

As we walked to lower town we walked along the castle fortress where most of the walls still stand. This road was rather difficult actually. CJ kept tripping over the raised cobblestones, or it was the perfect excuse to hitch another ride!!

Lower town was pretty cool. Buildings were so many bright pastel colors each with their own unique touch. Many souvenir shops selling various Estonian items. What was really interesting is all the shops selling Baltic Amber. Amber is not native to Estonia. It is imported from Lithuania and Russia. It amazed me how much is sold here for it not being produced here. 

Lower town was once the center for medieval trading and it helped make the town extremely prosperous. 

For whatever reason I did not get a picture of it but in this street is the Raepateek, built in mid 1400's and is the oldest running pharmacy in all of Europe to date. 

Tallinn Town Hall

Church of the Holy Ghost ~ Medieval Lutheran church built in the 13th century 

Entering into the Town Hall Square

Town Hall Square ~ This section was very interesting. Open courtyard that holds many of the city's festivals, concerts, public gatherings, local vendors, boutique restaurants, and of course more souvenir shops. 

I am told that the Christmas markets in Tallinn rival the various Christmas markets held throughout Germany. 

Had to stop for some good old yummy gelato! Kids were thrilled and even though CJ has "resting bitch face" ALL THE TIME, I promise he's hapy :-)

St. Nicholas Church ~ This church is dedicated to St Nicholas who is the patron saint of Sailors and Fisherman. Built in 13th century, the church was partially destroyed during the Soviet air raid in WWII, 1944. Most of this section is Old Town was also destroyed in the same raid. 

The above tower is the Kiek in de Kok artillery tower built in the late 1450's

Sweet faces! 

Viru Gate ~ These are the only two towers still standing of the former 14th century gate that enclosed the city. 

We got back to the boat and stopped in the arcade. Surprisingly, Ash and CJ drove the boats very well!! Then off to the Irish Pub for dinner. Ahh yes, Ash and Will are my meat eaters and leave the carbs behind while Mike and CJ finish off the bread and leave the burger :-)

All in all I was very pleased with Tallinn. It was a remarkable city with  so much history. Tallinn is also known as the Silicon Valley of Europe and the birthplace of Skype and home to NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence. A city rich in culture, Tallinn is a must see to anyone who visits the Baltic States.

The only downfall with cruising cities is the limited time. Outside Tallinn you can visit and explore the many Medieval Castles that still exist in their entirety.   

Sea Days and Kids Club

After Berlin we had a sea day on out way to Estonia. A bit cold so the kids could not utilize the pool so of to kids club it was. The 1st session was a bit rough. My three fought with each other most of the time. But... in their defense... they are 17 months between each kid. Sibling fights are going to happen and when your younger brother happens to be CJ, you just have to prepare for war I guess. 

We had the "Love Each Other" speech and evening session went off without problems. 

Lets talk about Mike for a minute... He got invited to every champagne art auction the boat had. Found this rather amusing that the child was addressed and not the adults! Maybe that is why he was so grumpy in the mornings, spent the night drinking and bidding on art! His bids must not have been good because we did not leave with a fancy Picaso or anything like that.

Evening kids club session was Fairy Tale themed. They dolled the kids up and paraded them about the boat. Check our the make up on this lady! Straight outta 1980 with that blue eye shadow and over done blush!!!

My handsome boys! 

Different balloon creations with each day. Have I mentioned how much Will and I HATE balloons!!! 9 days of balloons... OH JOY!