Morning has broken in St. Petersburg

There was a big difference coming out of our iron gate in the morning. It was, well . . . like night and day. Just one block to the left you could see the Admiralty, a monument to the Russian navy. It also serves as one of the key landmarks in a city some have called the Vienna of the North.

A few blocks in the opposite direction took us to the Moyka canal. From this bridge it's only a few steps to where Sandra, Derek, and Leon, our newest grandson, have been living.

This is one entrance to the dvor or courtyard in the centre of their apartment buildings.

Up closer you will see who's standing at their entrance, waiting for some action. Warm spring weather greeted us every day for two solid weeks.

For these two, sight-seeing always includes stopping for tea or nibbling on the run.

We arrived at a very important time in the life of the Russian people. Under former Soviet rule, everyone was obliged to show loyalty to the State on May 1, the Day of Labour. It's still a holiday, however, there are now only a few meetings organized by Communists. The huge demonstrations are saved for the 2-day Victory Day celebrations on May 8 & 9. That was the day in 1945 when Nazi Germany threw in the towel after a four-year war with the USSR. In anticipation of the big event, there were soldiers everywhere. We saw them on the sidewalks (many of which resemble an obstacle course), streets and squares.

When the day finally arrived, we took the metro to Victory Square where thousands gathered to honour those who had fought and died for their city during World War II.

Shown to the left is The Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad. From September 1941 to January 1944, over one million people, soldiers and civilians alike, died in what some say was the most horrific seige in history.

Of course, all of the speeches were in Russian. Even though I do not know the language, I was able to feel the passion. Derek, my son-in-law, did translate some of it, which was helpful. The statement that sticks in my mind is, "the most important soldiers are the ones who didn't come home."