Independent Travelling

Being an 'independent' traveller has many advantages. You get to decide where you want to go, how long you want to stay, and its certainly cheaper, but occasionally you take a lot longer to find places because you don't have local knowledge and can't read the signs, and today was one of them.

We decided to go to Pushkin for the day and check out Catherine's Palace. Now the guide books tell you the station to go to, and the bus number that you catch at the end. It was only 2 kms to the station, and we are young, so we set out full of enthusiasm. Tired by the time we got there, it took us 10 minutes to find where tickets were sold because there was nobody about, and no ticket windows open. Eventually another tourist with a smattering of Russian turned up, and told us the signs said that no trains were running till 1pm. Now the alternative way to Pushkin is to go to Moskovskaya station and take a different bus. Well, we disappeared down the subway and took the metro to Moskovsky station where our hostel is, and wondered why we couldn't find the bus. Yes, silly me, there is one Russian letter different between the names of the two stations. By this time, we were standing back outside our hostel, we had already walked a long way, and it was now 11am, so we started again.

Finally arrived at Pushkin at 12:15 but in typically unhelpful Russian fashion, the bus driver wasn't going to help the tourists on the bus to get off at the nearest stop. No. He just kept going until another couple realised, when we all hopped off, and walked back. Anyway, Catherine's Place is magnificent, the gardens beautiful, the weather lovely, and the company charming, so what's to complain about?

Did the self-guided tour - no audio guides or English signage. Reminded me very much of Versailles in layout and decor, even down to the hidden corridors, but then it was modelled on Versailles so Elizabeth would have been disappointed if it hadn't. Saw the famous 'Amber Room'. One of us remarked that the walls looked like a huge glazed fruit flan, and Mandy is far too polite to say things like that .... After several hours of looking at the rooms, and photos of how the Nazis left it in 1944, we sat in the gardens in the sun for lunch, then walked around the grounds. Very picturesque and peaceful. Hardly anybody else was there - its a great time of year to visit Russia.

Bus and metro back to the hostel where we sorted out our visa registrations before we got into trouble. Forget to tell you that there are colouring-in books and textas attached to the backs of the toilet doors to keep you amused.