Thanks Jim,

No pressure though.
If it is too hard to get onto a computer because you are having too much fun and partying up a storm in Moscow, I will understand!

Bavaria sounds delightful - your answers make more questions! Do you have relatives, family history in these areas? You have been there before and always wanted to go back? Sorry - curious! Anyway - Enjoy. Eve

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." – Benjamin Disraeli

Eve -

We originally booked our flights through Frankfurt as we can fly there directly from Calgary (almost all other flights to Europe from Calgary connect in Toronto and add many hours on to a long day). We wanted to travel a bit to shake off the jet lag before going to Russia and had both been to Bavaria before and enjoyed it. As always there were sights we didn't get to fully see the last time we were there so we have scheduled our time to see such places as Nuremberg, Rothenburg am de Tabor, and Neuschwanstein in Fussen. No relatives in the area for either of us.

We actually depart next weekend and are really looking forward to it.

We are taking a laptop with us so hopefully we can post any interesting points for you.

Jim

Have a terrific trip. Thanks for your reply.

Have a great trip Jim.

Hello Eve777 and JanetC,
My husband Patrick and I are joining the Easy Pace Russia JUNE 28 2009 Tour and looking forward to meeting you. This is our first Insight tour and we are counting down with only 1 week now until we leave Sydney to catch up with our middle son in Helsinki for a week prior to the tour. After the tour we are heading up to the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway for a chamber music festival and then more travels after that. Regards Jane

Hi Jane,

Thanks for your note.
Can't wait, only 2 more weeks to go and counting down... Look forward to meeting you on the tour.
Regards
Janet

Hi Jane,
How exciting to have another couple from the BB now to join the same tour.
And Janet as well!
This is very unusual, as many posts about the tours say that so many people dont know about the BB and that you can go on a tour where no one else on the bus has ever been on the Insight BB. There is a huge amount of information about travel, hints and ideas. Even if you have travelled a lot there is always something new to learn about, another tale to read or pictures to view.

Although there are no tour tales as yet about this particular tour, there are many tours that have been to Moscow and St Petersburgh and done the same optionals so it is worthwhile having an explore of the site.

You sound as if there are even more exciting things in store for you both - Helsinki and the festival. That sounds wonderful - it is not everyday someone goes from Australia to northern Norway for a festival I'm sure.
We are doing the Grand Tour of Scandinavia after this one and then 5 days in Hong Kong after that.

With only a week to go you must be organised. We are just realising we had better begin packing and sorting out our lists - well maybe next weekend.

I guess we will catch up on all the 'gossip' soon over a welcome drink. Looking forward to that. I'm sure we will have a great time. I have been on one Insight tour before with my husband and two daughters who were 18 and 22 at the time. We all really enjoyed sharing the experience together.
Regards
Eve

ps Hi again Janet.

Eve -
We arrive in St. Petersburg this evening. Our flight was delayed by a couple of hours and we missed the last Insight pickup. We were extremely fortunate as there was another couple on our flight who are on this tour and had thought they would miss the last pickup and had the foresight to arrange for a private transfer. Their private transfer was a van and driver and there was room for 4. Lucky us as a cabfare would have been around 80 dollars.

One word of caution. There were 5 ATMs at the airport and only one was in working condition. However, if you can wait there is an ATM in the lobby of the hotel.

The hotel is the Sokos Hotel Vasilievsky. It is an older building 1 block from the Neva River on the opposite side from the Hermitage and a few blocks laterally from the Hermitage. The inside has been renovated to what one would expect from a high standard hotel (with free Wi-Fi in every room - bonus !). The staff are young and make every effort to please.

Dinner was provided with a welcome drink. There are quite a few Canadians on our tour. I think almost one half of the tour of 31 may be Canadian.

As I write this post it is after 11:00 p.m. and it is best described as "dusk". I don`t think it will get totally dark tonight.

More tomorrow.

I hope you had a good sleep and are all ready to explore and enjoy.

Hi or Добрый вечер ( good evening )
It is thoughtful of you to do a quick post.

That was fortunate re the transfer. Out of all the things to consider the flights over and their arrival to join the tour is the one thing that concerns me.

Thanks also re ATM - planning to take some euros and US and then use ATM for the roubles.

Best wishes for the rest of the tour. Enjoy a vodka or two. Russian Champagne is supposed to be reasonable as well!

Wi fi! Almost tempted to take lap top - but cant be bothered!!
Regards Eve