(here is my illegal photo in all it's glory)
after the tour we headed back to the ship and went to dinner. we eat all the time.
Day 8
today we had another private tour but dona decided not to go. she said that she was too worn out from the previous day adventures. our tour guide today was much easier to understand and a little more attentive to our personal needs which was a relief. we visited a few cathedrals today. the first we were unable to enter at the time because they were having a service; it was very beautiful on the outside. i really wish that we could have gone inside. the next cathedral was also still used for services the priest wouldn’t let me enter because i was wearing shorts.
i guess god doesn’t like people who wear shorts.
so we roamed around outside and just took pictures of the outside of the church while our guide showed elbert around. the most interesting thing about this church is that it was bright blue. it’s so different to what i am use to seeing at home.
after leaving this church we were on our way to the next cathedral and our tour van started making the most horrid screeching noise. it broke down. so while we were waiting for the guide and the driver to figure out the plan we took some pictures of the canal. this is where i saw the dead body in the water.
yep that’s right, a DEAD BODY!
i even took a picture.
after a while of waiting around we went down to the next cathedral with the most awesome driver, but i’ll get to that in a minute. this cathedral we were actually able to enter. this is the place where st. peter is buried, they have a nice little tribute to him there. i would put a picture of it up but every shot i have someone is standing in the way. i found it to be very strange that some of these cathedrals have souvenir shops inside them. i didn’t really find any of the churches or cathedrals that we have entered thus far to have a peaceful feeling. maybe i am too corrupt.
the next cathedral that we went to was the most interesting. structurally it was the most appealing all the towers, levels, and colors. inside was amazing. all of the walls were entirely mosaic. from floor to ceiling these tiny little tiles were made into the most amazing mosaic pictures.
this cathedral is also the only place where you can find a depiction of christ as child.
it was then time to head back to the ship.
so one thing i have to mention about russia is the traffic is absolutely the worst in the world. there is no way that it could get any worse. drivers just go where they want, you can have three different lanes turning left into one lane. they all try to boss their way through the traffic; it is quite shocking. it almost seems like there are no traffic laws because of the way that they drive. our driver was bomb! he just did as he damn well pleased. i loved every moment of it. one day i hope i can drive like him. they never, ever use their mirrors. our van didn’t even have a rearview mirror, not that the driver would have used it. the thing that makes it all even better is that no one has car insurance. they all drive like maniacs and have no coverage. they really are winners.
after getting back to the ship we had lunch and just relaxed for a bit. i headed out again in the evening to go to the ballet. it wasn’t nearly as grand as i thought it would be. the company that i thought would be performing actually wasn’t. it was alright though i still enjoyed it. after the ballet i was on my way back to the ship when i saw a bear cub on a leash.
RUSSIANS are awesome!
No comments:
Post a Comment