Speeding to Moscow

This rainy morning we checked out of our hotel and drove into the country to the village of Petrodvorets and Peter the Great’s Summer Palace. Inspired by Versailles, this gilt-trimmed palace and huge park contain garden terraces, water-spouting statues, and 173 glitzy gold fountains. And more than 1000 times that many hungry mosquitoes in residence. A wide canal connects the palace to the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland.

Returning to the city was a snail crawl due to road construction. Therefore, we went straight to the train station with just enough time to board our train for a 3:15pm departure to Moscow.

Our train, the Aurora, has just been in operation for six months. It is a high-speed bullet train with speeds of up to 155 mph.

Nice comfortable seats/clean bathrooms. Fields of yellow flowering plants whizzed by in a blur. We are wondering if those aren’t the same plants we have at home growing on our lower hill and have been yanking out as weeds all this time. What the hell. They are kind of pretty and it’d be one less gardening chore.

A little over 4 hours later we arrived in Moscow, the complete total opposite of St. Petersburg in every way. New, modern with high rises, neon, giant billboards, and a bottle neck of 8-lane streets packed wall-to-wall with cars. 

Our high-rise Renaissance hotel has only been open for about a month. Everything is brand spanking new (including the staff). Ah, but the sweet lush bedding, soft fluffy towels and free Wifi are so worth the occasion newbie glitch.