Well we seem to have survived St Petersburg relatively unscathed. There was a moment at the metro station when we first arrived, but with Lydia's typical Aussie tact and subtlety I got through with only a bruised pride to nurse.
Weather is cold but no snow yet, even though Lydia sees it at every street corner... We're making the most of all the layers we brought and even I'm feeling the nip from time to time.
It's really a beautiful city, and we should know as we've walked most of it. There are some friendly people around, but they're less forthcoming to help with breaking the language barrier than the French.
Tonight we catch the train to Moscow, and we should arrive slap bang in the middle of rush-hour. Oh goody...!
PS Uses for duct tape no. 3: Emergency closure for a bag of pasta...
