Part 3

Ok so as begin this latest installment about Saint Petersburg I hope it is the last. Really this article is about the boats in Saint Petersburg. As it is a city with access to the sea, spans a coupe of large rivers, and is full of canals so there are a lot of boats in the city. We took two both rides. I greatly enjoyed both, funny enough the boat rides were basically (besides riding the subway) the first and last thing we did once we started sight seeing. While it is not a requirement to take a boat anywhere it is the fastest way to get to some attractions. The first boat that we took went to Peterhof one of the palaces I wrote about before. The trip takes about ½ hour each way by boat. Rather than an hour and ½ by stinky bus (actually the one bus I rode in Saint Petersburg was very nice, but I hold a grudge to Russian buses do to riding one in Moscow).

The best part of taking a boat to Peterhof, is the boat itself. The Russians have been using Hydrofoils for transport in this area for decades (according to some random blog I found). The only time I had seen a hydrofoil in the past was on the history channel when they talked about a really fast PT boat the Navy had developed but never produced. Basically a hydrofoil is a wing used in the water. Just like an airplane the submerged wing creates lift. This bring most of the hull of the boat out of water decreasing resistance and increasing speeds. I never thought anyone would use it for moving tourist around. The boats used to get to Saint Petersburg are maybe 20-25 feet wide and 125-140 feet long. When in full motion I would say 70-80% of the boat actually lifts out of the water. Leaving just the stern slightly submerged so the jet can create forward movement. It was pretty fast moving maybe 60 miles per hour and surprisingly smooth. I have to admit, while RG stayed nice and warm in the cabin, like an excited little kid on his first boat ride I had to go out on the small viewing deck for 90% of the ride to watch the other hydroplanes go by. It was totally worth it.

The other end of our trip, after walking so much we could walk so more we decided to take a canal cruise. They aren’t hard to find. Some lady with an electronic blow horn is soliciting riders for one company or anther at every bridge. So we just picked one that looked good. The boats typically are about 40 feet long have a closed section and an open deck with chairs. They are much smaller than those in Amsterdam and completely different than anything used in Chicago. The tours I assume offer a wonderful monolog on the history, architecture, and other fun facts about Saint Petersburg. But the were in Russian, so I understood only a few words. My wife translated the most important things as usual. Like the safety stuff. Apparently there is an issue with people standing at the wrong times and hitting their head on a bridge! No kidding. But the tour was nice and relaxing, though a bit chilly, and we enjoyed looking at even more of the amazing buildings and bridges in Saint Petersburg. Had we had the motivation there is also a tour that shows all the draw bridges at night when the are open. RG, and I agreed with her on this pointed, wanted to sleep instead – the tour starts at around 2 am.

So my final word on Saint Petersburg is this, put it on your bucket list, giver yourself a lot of time to see stuff, ride the boats, see the palaces, see the museums, see the churches, go to the restaurants, you could try a club or too we didn’t, see the attractions, see the monuments, and don’t discount what this city has to offer. It is second to no other destination in Europe.