On June 11 we left Irkutsk around 11 AM, flew for 6.5 hours and arrived in Saint Petersburg around noon. We had had lunch on the plane, but as soon as we arrived we headed to Dacha Tarem Restaurant for our second lunch. Everyone said they did not want a second lunch, but the food was so good looking that we ate. There were salads and meat under cream sauce (one of the best food items on the trip so far). There was wonderful beet borscht and veal and stuffed cabbage. There was honey cake for dessert with cute little bees on the top for a decoration. We also had wonderful singers and dancers to entertain us, complete with their own band.
Then we were off to tour Catherine’s Palace. This is the former summer residence of the Russian Tsars. The highlight of the palace is the reconstructed Amber Room. During the 2nd World War, the room was dismantled and hidden from the Germans while Saint Petersburg was under siege. It was lost, but pictures of the original room and plans and sketches have allowed present day artisans to recreate it. No photos could be taken in this area of the palace. Part of the routine was putting shoe covers on our feet while we walked through the museum.
After checking into our plush hotel, we had a discussion with our panel of experts about what we had discovered so far on the trip. Dinner was in the Tea Lounge. Bob and I took a walk after dinner. The sun does not set until after 10:30 PM (almost White Nights) and rises around 4 AM.
Fitbit – 4479 steps, 5 floors and 2.12 miles
Bette and Bob See the World 
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