>Hello Adrienne and all. We're enjoying the first heat wave of the >season in St. Petersubrg full of tourists and of what seem to be very >fashionable Russians. Everyone seems to be enjoying the heat and >dressing for mid-summer weather. > >We did a group tour yesterday then split up to tour the city on our >own. We've visited St. Isaacs cathedral, the Winter Palace (part of >the Hermitage museum), walked Nevsky Prospect, and gotten warn out. > >BEWARE. As in any big tourist city, the pick pockets are busy at work. > Two of our people lost wallets to pickpockets within 24 hours of >arriving. That's almost 10% - so watch your wallet!

Second Message

So far so good, I haven't lost a single thing. It's not quite 5:30 a.m. and I have the hotel computer all to myself!

If anyone thinks the French are 'aloof' wait until you met some Russians. They seem downright depressed. Most of the time they ignore you although occasionally you could get a smile when you said thank you (in Russian). Or when the vodka was flowing! I don't know if those pictures will make it to the internet/ :-) There was a table of Russians at the bar we ate dinner in our last night in Russia and they were very friendly and got most of our group to dancing. One lady went out side and picked lilacs off a bush and gave them to us as we left.

The weather has been great! We had a city tour to see some of the main structures. I have never seen such grandure/opulance! Gold (gilded) every where. We saw Swan Lake (ballet) but it was a student performance.

Once you are out of the heart of St. Petes. the buildings are very run down. Driving out of the city we saw mile after mile of the apartment buildings. all alike, long rectangular, about 10 stories high and in terrible disrepear. It was sobering. I did see 2 new apartment buildings under construction but you couldn't even call it a drop in the bucket it was more like a drop in the ocean.

The roads from Gatchina to Ivangorod were (predictably) terrible with potholes and crevasses that must have dated back to WWII. At one point when I stopped 2 boys )8-9 yrs) were on bikes and they set out to 'race' us! So I stopped and gave them each a postcard that has our route on it. They were very polite and said thank you( in Russian).

Many Russian grocery stores still have the food and things to buy behind glass counters.

We werer not allowed to take pictures in the subway or at the border crossing.

The night we went to the ballet the taxi driver told us he could only take 4 people because the police would fine him. So he wanted to charge us 200 more rubbles. So we all got out of the cab. we are looking for another ( harder to find then a needle in a haystack) when he comes back and says OK we can go with him for the regular price. The Police did stop us on the way back to the hotel and there was a lot of yelling and arm waving ( we had a jacket over Paola's head) but it was about a turn the taxie driver took. They all drive like maniacs anyway!

On the road here it was flat ( the challenge was the road itself) and the villages we went by were in the same terrible state of disrepair. Some had lattice work so it looks like it must have been pretty when it was new. One whole village had houses about the size of storage sheds.

It must have taken us colse to an hour to get through the border. We walked our bikes through.

Now we are in Estonia! What a change! Houses are well kept, . People are friendly. The roads are great Although I did take an alternate route that was about 10k of gravel, but it was well worth it. We saw the Baltic sea and it was beautiful. Lots of bike riders here. Both transportation and for fun( wearing spandex). Also we see English on road signs.

Thanks for your emails! I'm having a great time! Did 100K (most of the others did the whole 130K)the first day and 58K the next.

Love Helen/Mom