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Jumbuck - ARC Baltic - St Petersburg



Sitting in Jumbucks cockpit typing this after midnight in what the Russians call one of their 'white nights', and trying to sum up my impressions of this city and it's peoples.

We've just returned from seeing Swan Lake performed by the Bolshoi Ballet at the small theatre in the Hermitage, and had earlier today done a tour guided trip to several famous landmarks.

The tour was amazing. The ballet was brilliant. Super dancers and superb musicians set in a venue that would be hard to top. The whole city is stacked with so many museums, palaces, churches one could easily loose a month visiting them all. If you survived that long.

Crazy drivers with scant regard for pedestrians in a mix of old dented Ladas and plush shiny Bentleys are probably the greater risk, but it's hard not to want to wander round this fabulous place and take your chances. Loads of tourists, Russians and Japanese appearing as the majority.

St Petersburg is built on 67 Islands, all crisscrossed by 42 rivers or canals. There used to be hundreds more as the city was built on a swamp, lbut slowly over the centuries they've brought in enough soil to gradually fill in the waterways, increase the ground height, and minimise the amount of flooding they still get even today. In fact most of the main roads used to be waterways. Bit like a big Paris set in Venice, filled with Athenian drivers. There's little compromise shown, and a love of noise and speed. I'm sure I've seen one motorbike top 100mph up the equivalent of the London Embankment!

Then there's the second risk of personal security. I took it with a pinch of salt when Vladimir our tourist rep warned about getting into a location, or even into a taxi, on your own. But then only this afternoon, on our No 7 public trolley bus that we took back from the city to the marina, even we managed to get mixed up with a gang of male pickpockets. They attempted to distract me by bailing up Sue on the bus, and then tried to rifle my wallet pocket.

I saw / felt it all happening, and with one hand grabbed the guys fingers whilst also getting Sue free. Sue reminded me that I then wagged my finger under his nose which on reflection was a bit silly. Not sure what may have happened if I had completed my aim and snapped one of his digits, but as it was, they all six retired hurt and we all simply eyed each other up until they finally exited en mass at the next stop.

I guess the sad experiences could put you off, but then we've also experienced super polite young guys giving up seats for us, and the local older marine IT guy refusing any payment at all after spending hours fixing up our auto pilot. Me, I prefer to dwell on those positive experiences.

Its clearly a country of contrasts going through lots of changes, and frankly they are needed. I get the impression the national psyche is one of shyness, often expressed as aggression, but below all that they genuinely wish to be part of a wider more liberal world, and truly do welcome guests. Most youngsters here learn English, and I'm pretty sure in 20 years time, they collectively might gain the confidence needed to be more tolerant of 'foreigners'.

So overall what do I think of it? Truly Ab Fab.

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