On Tuesday Jules suggested St Petersburg for Christmas. Yesterday I went to a travel agent to investigate. Today my credit card is reeling under the shock of it all. Because it was less than 60 days to departure, we had to pay the whole lot at once. Ouch.
But we're very excited. We fly over on Christmas Eve and come back on the 28th. As all the three hotels on offer were very expensive, we went (logically enough) for the flashest of the lot. Well, if it's costing you an arm and a leg anyway, you figure another toe won't make much difference. In theory, at least.
Plus, I'm sure we'll get good value out of the fitness centre, sauna and hot pool...Need to do something to counteract the blinis and stroganoff.
There will be snow and lots of it. That's a given, apparently - the guide books recommend waterproof shoes and carrying a pair of indoor shoes with you as well so you won't look silly at the opera. (What an embarrassment THAT would be!)
Temperatures of -18 are also mentioned so it will be a bit like when we went to Stockholm for Christmas. Note to self: buy hat with earflaps, gloves, galoshes, more thermals... Poor old credit card - it has a hard life.
What to read to prepare? Anna Karenina? War and Peace? The Bronze Horseman (again)? All three?
Jules says he will not be reading The Bronze Horseman on the plane as a book where everyone dies is not suitable for Christmas Eve. He has a point there. If anyone knows a cheerful uplifting Russian novel, now would be the time to suggest it. Somehow I suspect that to get cheerful uplifting novels you need a cheerful uplifting history...
What will be a bit weird is that December 25 is not a public holiday in Russia as the orthodox church celebrates Christmas on 7 January.
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