St Petersburg - Day 2 cont/d

By now we were both feeling rather weary so decided to take a ride on a Hop On/Off City Bus which was included in our City Card.  Rather than try and take photos through the window we went upstairs to the open area, but it was very, very cold and the skies threatened more rain.  

A few random shots, every direction you look there are little domes breaking the skyline - I'll name the buildings if I know them.

Admiralty

St Isaac's Cathedral

MS Europa (although why she is berthed right in town I don't know, most cruise ships are further out).

There are two of these magnificent 3,500 year old sphinxes which once stood on the Alley of Spinxes in front of Amenhotep III'S tomb.   Now on University Embankment they are considered among the finest examples of Ancient Egyptian colossal sculpture outside Egypt.

Old Winter Palace (Hermitage)

One of the two columns on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island.

And one of the statues at the bottom.

On Vasilyevsky Island is the Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral.  There are numerous buildings here but our City Card only covered entrance fees to the Cathedral and Prison and as we were rather tired we didn't bother to pay extra to walk along the bastion.

Looking across to the main City.

I know the Neva River usually freezes each winter but I can't image this ice could be left over from then.

This is the Aurora, a 1900 Russian protected cruiser which served during the Russo-Japanese War and now a museum.

One of the many trams.

This bronze horseman was commissioned by Catherine II (the Great) as a tribute to her predecessor Peter the Great and as a way of linking herself to the Russian monarchy (she was a German princess by birth).

Pretty much exhausted by now we headed for an early dinner and a bottle of Crimean Pink Fizz - delicious!

Followed by another very early night zzz.