Kyle’s European Adventure

Russia was a trip – you get a definite impression of a city based on its port, and the port in St. Petersburg was…. well, a dump. The city itself was amazing – so steeped in history. I got to spend a day in the Hermitage, which was a total dream come true. The collection and the museum itself are so overwhelming that you have no hope of seeing even a decent fraction of the collection. I did manage to see works by Michelangelo (sp?), Da Vinci, Rembrant, and a host of other amazing artists.

Other spots on our tours included the Church of the Spilled Blood (holy mosaics!), Peterhof Palace, a trip on the St. Petersburg subway, and a local folk dance performance with a military choir. Everything we saw was amazing, but there’s definitely a dour overtone to the entire city. Nobody smiles.

We had a whirlwind tour of Estonia’s capital city yesterday, where our ship pulled up next to the gay cruise at the dock. My sister was the one who pointed out “has anyone else noticed that there are no women getting off that boat?” Holla!

Today is Gdynia, Poland. I was up pretty late last night (crew disco!), and so I hope I’m not dragging too much on today’s tour. Tomorrow is our last day at sea, and I’m trying not to freak out. Traveling with my family has been SO easy, and I can’t believe that in just a couple more days, they’re going to leave, and I have to get the Berlin leg of this trip started. I just hope I can find a place to live when I get there.