Friday 7 April 2017

St Petersburg - a city of opulence, splendour, and too few dogs?



Gosh I must say it is nice to have Gail home again after her slightly too exciting trip to St Petersburg.

I note that several of you want to know more about her visit and even asked if you can see some of photos! Well, I must remind you that this is supposed to be a dog blog and so I asked Gail if she had spotted any Borzois, Siberian Huskies or other Russian breeds. It seems not. She claims that the bit of fluff sticking out the front of this lady's coat is a miniature canine of some description, but frankly we'll have to take that one on trust won't we?

Gail did slightly better in the bookshop in the famous art nouveau Singer Building on Nevsky Prospekt, where she resisted the temptation to buy a Vladimir Putin mug and instead purchased me a nice calendar and a card, both pleasingly dog-relevant.

Oh and please, any Russian speakers out there, do tell us what it says on the card. Neither Gail nor I have quite mastered using Google Translate with Cyrillic script.

It seems one might become overwhelmed by the opulent splendour of the many palaces, museums, churches and other grand buildings in St Petersburg. But I have a question for you (there might even be a prize). Can you tell which is the odd one out of the eight photos below?

Finally, I confess I had been a bit worried that Gail would come home hungry, as she does not like  cabbage, caviar or vodka. But she assures me this is an out-dated stereotype of Russian cuisine, and she and Yvonne somehow managed to force the food down...

PS I promise you normal service will return on this blog next week, when I hope to be able to post new photos of ME enjoying a nice Spring walk in the Scottish countryside!

13 comments:

  1. That last photo...are you sure she didn't atop by to see the PONs? Just askin'.

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  2. We think it's the fourth one down because it's a metro station and the others are all palaces or churches? Though the cakes do look very French. the money and text is Russian.....
    Looking forward to YOUR blog Bertie !

    Love,
    Inca xx

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  3. your Gail was in our thoughts immediately as we heard about the sad things of St. Petersburg... but it is a wonderful city, full of history and full of miracles...

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  4. Hari OM
    Coppa beat me to it... the 4th one down. Thank you so much Bertie for permitting us a view into Gail's world for a bit. LOVE that calendar! Now as to the card; myself took Russian to 'O' level sometime back in last century... am a bit vague but it is along the lines of "it feels like stomach has been cut off, I am fading away!" Which kinda makes sense when tied in with the cartoons around the pupster! Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

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  5. Gail's pictures have Lady excited - she hopes to have a few days in St. Petersburg in 2018.

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  6. Wow, what a beautiful city!
    i am soooo glad Gail is back home safely...did she bring you any of those wonderful CAKES to sample?
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  7. Bertie
    Finally I got onto your blog....blogger is being a boooooger today. It is about as slow as molasses in July. Ohhhhhhhhh we are so sorry we don't know much about the beauty of Russia. St. Petersburg is for sure beautiful though. We are glad Gail and Yvonne enjoyed themselves...but 'gladder' they are home.
    Hugs madi your bfff

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  8. What a beautiful city
    Lily & Edward

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  9. The Architecture and Interiors of the buildings are TRULY Gorgeous. Think of all the treats and toys we could buy with that much GOLD.
    We love the pictures and are thrilled that Miss Gail is home Safe... and not STARVED.

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  10. What a bunch of almost perfect pictures(as they were missing a certain Bertie)! We are going with the 2nd picture...hmmmmm
    We hope you get an extra long Spring walkie this weekend Bertie!
    Smileys!
    Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo

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  11. It is very nice that you let Gail post her photos on your blog Bertie. Sometimes it is impawtent to share like that as long as the hoomans don't think they can take over! Now, we gotta study those pictures . . .

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  12. BTW, we're gonna guess it is #4 (metro?) picture!

    Us Again

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  13. We can't seem to get past the picture of macaroons and cakes.....YUM!

    Wyatt and Tegan

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