After a long time of wanting to go to St. Petersburg, I'm at last on the way. My mother and I went to Moscow in 1966 when she was invited to a conference of psychologists at the University of Moscow. It was the first trip overseas for both of us and we were a little too intimidated and nervous to take a train up to Leningrad, although several members of our group did. It will be VERY interesting to see how different things are in Russia from 45 years ago!
I'm on a Rick Steves tour that starts in Tallinn, Estonia (2 nights), then we take a ferry to Helsinki (2 nights) and then a train to St. P. for 4 nights.
Before that I'm visiting friends in England and Spain and spending a LOT of time in airplanes and airports - possibly too much time, even for an aero-aficionada like me.
Today I fly on Virgin Atlantic (VS) from SFO to London in UPPER CLASS - another long-time dream of mine. I've been following review sites for months and have seen a lot of negative reviews saying that VS has let its standards go way down, etc. Have I missed the boat on enjoying the great service that the commercials promise? We shall see!
Quick itinerary:
Arrive in London on the 18 August
Visit friend Stephanie in Norfolk on 20 August
Train to beautiful Cornwall to visit Ben and Rose and Sam (and my boyfriend Jackson) on the 21st
Fly from Exeter (EXT) to Mallorca (PMI) on the 24th on a low-fare airline called flybe - one of those that charge for everything, so I'm bringing coins for the pay-lavatories (I hope not!)
Visit Christopher and Miranda for 4 days
Fly from PMI via Geneva to London on the 28th - on Swiss International Airlines. Unbelievably the old Swissair that Isla and I loved so much (and I think Turu did too, especially after the flight attendants brought her leftover steak from First Class on a flight to Zurich) went bankrupt some years ago. So this is my first time on the current incarnation.
People like me have websites where we can track each others' flights and lounge visits - I'll be meeting a fellow fanatic with the handle DUS at the Geneva lounge.
In London on the evening of the 28th I'm taking the special night tour of Buckingham Palace (details to follow).
Flying from London on the 29th via Frankfurt to Tallinn to meet up with the group.
That's enough for now - stay tuned.
