Leaving Moscow with good memories and a vow to return some day, we turn the wheels north to the next and last wonder of this part of the world-St. Petersburg. Morning traffic leaving the city is heavy but as usual, everyone is patient and good natured. We get lots of thumbs up when they see our flag and we exchange a few words and Canada pins with nearby drivers-one of whom gives me ribbons in return.Two days later, we arrive in St. Petersburg and find another city full of amazing architecture. The city, founded and designed by Peter the Great in 1703 and named after St. Peter, was designated the new capital of the Russia and with a great series of palaces, government buildings, and churches became one of Europe's grandest capitals. It is also the hometown of Vladimir Putin. There is just so much to see and do! Once again, we hop on and hop off the city tour bus getting a great overview and helping us choose where to spend our time.Some of the high points were:The Church of the Saviour On Spilled Blood-built on the sight where Alexander II was blown up. A magnificent edifice rivaling St. Basil's with its colorful onion domes and 7,000 square feet of mosaics depicting Biblical scenes. The Hermitage, located in the beautiful green and white Winter Palace, and housing one of the world's greatest art collections. With over 3 million exhibits, it too merits a return visit. And my favorite, the Peter and Paul Fortress. On the banks of the Neva River which runs through the city and full of interesting buildings and exhibits. Towering over it all is the cathedral that houses the remains of all the rulers from Peter the Great onwards including the recently interred Czar Nicholas' family and the famous Anastasia. Ok, so enough sightseeing. What's happening with the bikes? Well Ross' remains in Kazan while we wait for the insurer to decide the next move. We're riding two up and it's not fun! So we decided to ride to Finland and take the ferry to Germany, cutting off 900 miles and about 3 days riding. Exiting Russia was amazingly easy! It took about 15 minutes for all four of us to check out us and our bikes. We didn't mention there was one bike missing and neither did they. (We'll let the insurance company deal with that when they ship it). We all gave a huge sigh of relief to be out safe and sound. For the record: we were never stopped by the police; we never paid a bribe to anyone; the language was manageable; the drivers were courteous; we were never forced to drink vodka; and we never saw a drunk driver. As Ross would say "no trauma, no drama.
Two nights in Helsinki gave us an opportunity to revisit some of the places we shared with the Babcocks during our Scandinavian ride in 2007 before boarding the ferry. The trip across the Baltic was calm and the food was fantastic! Could have been because there was NO BORSCHT!
Then we had a nice Fall ride through northern Germany on beautiful, smooth roads-nice!We are now back in Heidelberg waiting to fly home on the eighth. Ross' bike is being shipped here and will be repaired and both bikes will be put up for sale. Time for some new ones. Steve and RuthAnn are leaving their's here at Knopf Motors and will be back next year to ride more of Europe. Doug and Dave are continuing their country collecting tour for another month before shipping home.
It's been quite a ride! 10,290 kilometers across the largest country in the world. We've seen some beautiful countryside, fascinating history, met wonderful people, and had a safe ride. As Ken O'Malley says "It don't get no better!"
Jean
St. Peter and Paul Cathefral
Fresh grilled salmon for lunch at Helsinki ha
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