Under one of the many bridges.

After a long breakfast, Richard is still waiting for his coffee, we walked down Nevsky Prospect to the Winter Palace along the Neva River. I was able to convince Tom that I’m not as big a curmudgeon as some think until Richard demanded that I shouldn’t sell myself short.

The weather is perfect, the city beautiful and the women breathtaking! The boat ride took us bast all the sights and under most of it’s bridges.

Doug and Richard had to be separated so as not to cause trouble.
That hat, OMG that hat!

One of many.
I wanna be!
We stopped here to venerate the blood of an asassinated Czar.

The boat ride tired us out with too much sun and we headed back up Nevsky Prospect stopping at a phone store to change SIM card and a bank to load up on cash. Tom detoured a number of time to shop for nested dolls for his wife. This may prove to be a unattainable grail. But no more so that the hopes to find a Samovar to bring home.

New SIM chips in hand we found a outdoor restaurant to have dinner and rest our dogs and to try to organize out new phone numbers and make contact with one another. Three old guys trying to do this proved to be a exercise in futility. All Tom could say is where is his tech support daughter Nomi?!!

The sun doesn’t set until 9:30 so we had drinks (only spilling one – he shall remain anonymous) And, then dinner. No spills. We sat for three hours allowing our muscles to stiffen. The people watching wonderful and with the weather remaining perfect we were into hurry to go back to the hotel which was only 50 meters away. Still trying to organize the trip. I looks as if Tom and Richard will go south at the end of the week and I’ll remain in St Pete and we’ll meet up in Helsinki.

The Singer building, a major landmark on Nevsky Prospect..
Can’t get enough of that Hat!
Winter Palace, St Petersburg.
The main square behind the Winter Palace.