Aleksey and Nina took us out for breakfast this morning. Susan woke up early and decided to do the laundry. She started it at 8am and we needed to leave at 9:30am, which wasn't nearly enough time. By 9am, the washing machine still hadn't completed the first cycle. We tried to hurry it along, but couldn't figure out how to open it to get our clothes out. Since the machine is in a common area, we couldn't just leave our clothes in there when we left. We kept twisting hte dial and trying to open the lid, but it wouldn't budge. Eventually we learned that it took a few minutes for the water to drain, so if we left it alone the lid would finally unlock. Once we got our clothes out, it was already after 9:30am, so we hurridly put them up on a line to dry and went down to where Aleksey and Nina were waiting for us.

They took us to Teremok for a traditional Russian breakfast of Bliniy (which are similar to crepes). Susan decided to get a wild berry and a strawberry bliniy, which were both quite tasty but very sweet. Afterwards, Aleksey and Nina dropped us off at the Hermitage, where we were to meet Mama and Papa at 11am in the Palace Square. Claire and Kristen were able to take some fantastic photos while we waited and at 11:10am we all walked to the Neva River to catch a hydrofoil to Peterhof. We had to take a bus to the departure port because the one we were at was closed. By the time we got there we missed the boat and had to wait until 1pm for the next one.

We finally got to Peterhof where we took more great photos, ate a picnic, and left at 6pm. We went to Serpuhovskaya for dinner and met the youngest brother, Sasha, who had just arrived for a quick break from the Army. He is VERY tall!! Shortly after we arrived, Sasha left to hang out with his friend (the reason he got this break from the Army is that his friend is getting married next week and Sasha is his best man). So, we had dinner and talked for a long time with Mama, Papa, and Zhenya. When we were done, Zhenya drove us home.

Labels: Europe 2008, Russia, St. Petersburg