(Venice again? No, it's St Petersburg still, but can you see the similarities? An amazing sunset greeted us..and it's almost 10pm! You can see clearly now why this city is called the Venice of the North. Against this city skyline, this moment before the sun drops below the buildings is so beautifully peaceful)
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(If there's a Winter Palace, then there must also be a Summer Palace, for Czar Peter the Great. Filled with fountains, all 64 of them and 2 lovely gardens, this beautiful palace is filled with people, both locals and tourists. Seeing so many Russian beauties, one get the feeling that supermodels and Sharapova's are everywhere in this country; just look at this one behind me..ahh, to be young again)
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(The richness of St Petersburg is best captured in this magnificent Hermitage Museum, which is part of the Winter Palace. The awe-inspiring works of Da Vinci - the iconic "La Bambina" - Michelangelo and Rembrandt are all inside this museum. One has to ask how did these classic creations from Italian and Dutch masters end up in Russia, and not in Italy or Holland? Spoils of World War 2 perhaps? Could this museum be worth even more than The Louvre? Oh, I forgot, they are all priceless..just like our life..)
(I am here at last..in St Petersburg, Russia! Wait, did I just say 'Russia'? I had never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be in Russia. And St Petersburg..what a beautiful first city to visit. Regarded as the Venice of the North, this city is brimming with history. And who can resist spending some roubles for my first Russian doll..all 10 pieces of them. If only Life gives us all 10 different versions, as we pass from one life to another..hmmm, maybe I am already in version 2, post-cancer)
(So this is Santa's workshop, right in the heart of Helsinki. Probably not. But the Market Place area was peaceful in the morning, including people milling around the nearby Rock Church, a church literally carved out beside a massive rock face)
(The ferry cruise to Helsinki from Stockholm brought out a wonderful sunset scene for us to savour. With the cabin barely big enough for 2 - or 4 with the bunk beds - the incentive to stay inside was minimal. Still it was an experience to shower standing still, and have the loud swishing engine sound accompany you all night long..another Titanic moment for those in cattle class)
(The Old Town of Stockholm comes alive, just as an old town should, with cobbled stones, shops selling various momentos and people milling around, including a real blonde Swedish beauty with crystal blue eyes. The Nobel Prize museum is located there too but the big surprise was a couple of buskers playing a most intriguing piece of musical instrument on the square..can't figure out what it is but just listen to how soothing the sound - click on the video below - that it makes..captivating! What wonderful musical instrument is that?)
(Stockholm's beauty is well represented by its City Hall and the areas surrounding it. A panoramic view of it at one of the city's high points really shows why Stockholm is called the city of bridges and islands..and the blue waters really bring out its shine)
