Tuesday (edited)

First of all, apologies that there was no blog yesterday. This was due to the fact we were piled onto the overnight train and could not write it! 

Anyhow, our arrival in St Petersburg was heralded by a glorious sunrise, whose beams burst into our train cabins on the early morning. We later left train station to meet our new guide, Oleyssa. She led the tired tumult of students on a trip round a few key areas of the city, emphasising the geography and symetery in architecture. A few stops made were the Tauride Palace (which was home to the Dumas and later the Provisional Government and Petrigrad Soviet after the abdication of the Tsar), the Cathedral of Spilled Blood (which marked the point on which Tsar Alexander III was assassinated), and a few of the beautiful frozen rivers crisscrossing the city.

We stopped for lunch across Nevsky Prospect, which a couple of comrades used to visit the 'Best doughnut bakery in the world'.

After a secondary short walk around St Petersburg, visiting places such as the Smolny Institute, we were relieved to finally get to the hotel. Dinner was followed by another expedition into the city, to truly appreciate the buildings at night. Most notable was The Winter Palace, where Mrs Harris told us the tragic and thought-provoking story of Bloody Sunday.

We also visited the Kazan Cathederal which Dr Coke-Woods graphically depicted the events if the July Days of 1917, and a few various spots of historic note.

Now, we are back in our beds, and VERY ready to sleep. Goodnight! 

-Shem Jacobs