Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 15, 2015 Author #1601 Share Posted December 15, 2015 (edited) And it's not the artwork ... In an entirely different vein from the POSH Victoria and Albert's was our dinner at Suliko . We had tried Georgian food before , but it was nice to go to dinner with our friends who knew and understood Georgian cuisine . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_cuisine The dinner was a long event with many drinks , toasts and different foods which I was able to capture several photos of early on before the toasts had taken their toll . We had tried Khachapuri before but it was the Megrelian version which is a cheese bread like a white pizza , with no sauce . This time we tried the Adjara version , a cheese bread boat with egg . Tasty and rich . Something new for us was the Khinkali , a dumpling filled with broth that you bite and suck ( slurp ) loudly ! And of course there was Shashlik ( Kabobs ) , and a type of stir fry . Between courses , Nellie presented Pat with a vodka bottle , which she had decorated and Yuri had fired in his kiln . Yuri is the resident artist in the house , but this was the first art that she had ever made - as a gift to Pat . Fore And Aft We keep this beautiful gift , in a place of honor in our house , as a tribute to our friendship with Yuri and Nellie . Edited December 15, 2015 by scubacruiserx2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 15, 2015 #1602 Share Posted December 15, 2015 How lovely, I really like the viking ship on it.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 15, 2015 Author #1603 Share Posted December 15, 2015 How lovely, I really like the viking ship on it.:D Me too , weren't they the original cruisers ? :) :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upwarduk Posted December 15, 2015 #1604 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Great souvenirs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 16, 2015 #1605 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Me too , weren't they the original cruisers ? :) :D Yes, but no concierge cabins or MDR for them.:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 16, 2015 Author #1606 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Yes, but no concierge cabins or MDR for them.:p And all the shore excursions - DIY . :) :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 16, 2015 #1607 Share Posted December 16, 2015 And all the shore excursions - DIY . :) :D Yes but the ship wasn't going to leave them in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 16, 2015 Author #1608 Share Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) Great souvenirs! We keep the vodka bottle filled in case any Russians show up on our doorstep ! A couple of our other souvenirs , a plate with a story from the Russian poet Pushkin - Ruslan & Ludmila . And a lacquer box with a fairy tale , I don't know which . Some of these boxes can cost thousands of dollars . Last night we had dinner with some friends that we met on Cruiscritic who are town from Toronto . We shared some shore excursions with them on our Baltic tour in 2006 including a private tour with the 4 of us in St. Petersburg . As we were headed to the port to leave on the ship , our guide asked if we had any further requests . I had a strange one but asked her anyway . I had seen a filled vodka bottle on the internet made by inventor of the AK-47 , Kakashnikov . I thought that I might by one as a souvenir , or turn a profit reselling . Two phone calls later , and a stop at a liquor store , and we stood face to face with the gun in a box . At about a meter long , and filled with vodka , I was gobsmacked with a momentary lapse of reason . How was I going to transport this thing through security and back to the US ? And so we left Russia , and the vodka bottle , never dreaming that we would ever return . But who knew ? I located the gun online just now , but it's only exported to Australia ! http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/25-cool-liquor-bottles-worth-buying-for-bottle-alone/kalashnikov-vodka Mic ? :) :D Edited December 16, 2015 by scubacruiserx2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 16, 2015 #1609 Share Posted December 16, 2015 LOl, it must be the only automatic weapon allowed to be imported to here. I am not sure if I would want the bottle or the vodka that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 16, 2015 Author #1610 Share Posted December 16, 2015 LOl, it must be the only automatic weapon allowed to be imported to here. I am not sure if I would want the bottle or the vodka that much. No , we passed at $ 180 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 17, 2015 #1611 Share Posted December 17, 2015 No , we passed at $ 180 . It is $450 for us.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 17, 2015 Author #1612 Share Posted December 17, 2015 It is $450 for us.:eek: :eek: is right , and I thought $ 180 was too much ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 17, 2015 Author #1613 Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) On our last full day before leaving St. Pete , we had a nice cool front with clear and sunny weather . Pat had never seen St. Nicholas Cathedral , and it was a nice walk along the canal in the opposite direction from Spilled Blood . It's also called the Sailor's Cathedral , and was one of the few churches left open in the Soviet times . The church building is older than our country and it is off the grid from many tours and tourists . http://www.saint-petersburg.com/cathedrals/st-nicholas-cathedral/ It is at the confluence of 2 canals , the Kryukov on the right , and the Griboyedov on the left . which leads to our apartment and eventually to Spilled Blood . There are some boat tours but most are for Russians . And it's a favorite photo spot . We choose to cross the bridge and explore it closer . But first , a little story of how St. Nicholas became the sailor's patron saint , and yes - that St. Nicholas . The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas/Santa Claus St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century AD in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true! St Nicholas Image from the St. Nicholas Center The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging up stockings to get presents in first started! It goes like this: There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides parents on the wedding day. This still happens in some countries, even today.) One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas. Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only the saint of children but also of sailors! One story tells of him helping some sailors that were caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey. The storm was raging around them and all the men were terrified that their ship would sink beneath the giant waves. They prayed to St. Nicholas to help them. Suddenly, he was standing on the deck before them. He ordered the sea to be calm, the storm died away, and they were able to sail their ship safely to port. St. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. No one is really knows when he died, but it was on 6th December in either 345 or 352 AD. In 1087, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italian merchant sailors. The bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On St. Nicholas feast day (6th December), the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages throughout the year. Story from why Christmas . Edited December 17, 2015 by scubacruiserx2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 17, 2015 #1614 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I have dutch heritage and we used to celebrate with the dutch community on the 6th December. when I was a kid (5-7). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 17, 2015 Author #1615 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I have dutch heritage and we used to celebrate with the dutch community on the 6th December. when I was a kid (5-7). There was more to the story : How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus Santa in different colour outfits In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas had become very unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, particularly in England, he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories (in Scotland he's more commonly known as Santa). In France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel'; in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'! Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas' Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upwarduk Posted December 17, 2015 #1616 Share Posted December 17, 2015 It is at the confluence of 2 canals , the Kryukov on the right , and the Griboyedov on the left . We were taken to the bridge that Pat is standing on, and also to a tourist shop, but I didn't buy anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 17, 2015 Author #1617 Share Posted December 17, 2015 We were taken to the bridge that Pat is standing on, and also to a tourist shop, but I didn't buy anything. Who did you use ? You may have told us before , but it's slipped my mind :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 17, 2015 #1618 Share Posted December 17, 2015 There was more to the story : How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus Santa in different colour outfits In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas had become very unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, particularly in England, he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories (in Scotland he's more commonly known as Santa). In France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel'; in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'! Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas' Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets. Yes, and the story of "Swarte' Pete" is still changing.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upwarduk Posted December 18, 2015 #1619 Share Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) Who did you use ? You may have told us before , but it's slipped my mind :confused: SPB de luxe 2 day tour. The tourist shop was at the bottom corner of the building behind Pat's right shoulder. Edited December 18, 2015 by upwarduk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 18, 2015 Author #1620 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Yes, and the story of "Swarte' Pete" is still changing.:eek: And it probably will continue to do so . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 18, 2015 Author #1621 Share Posted December 18, 2015 The Russian version of Santa Claus is Ded Moraz ( Father Frost ) . http://russiapedia.rt.com/of-russian-origin/ded-moroz/ And his granddaughter Snegurohka ( Snow Maiden ) , who helps him . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 18, 2015 #1622 Share Posted December 18, 2015 And it probably will continue to do so . Swarte' piet (Black Peter) were the helpers and originally slaves from African or Moorish decent, but now they are supposed to be just children that are dirty (black) from going up and down the chimneys delivering the presents. Either way, it is a bit out of date. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 18, 2015 Author #1623 Share Posted December 18, 2015 SPB de luxe 2 day tour.The tourist shop was at the bottom corner of the building behind Pat's right shoulder. Wow , that sound's like quite a tour ! And thanks for the information about the tourist shop , it may prove to be useful for future visitors . :) :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted December 18, 2015 Author #1624 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Swarte' piet (Black Peter) were the helpers and originally slaves from African or Moorish decent, but now they are supposed to be just children that are dirty (black) from going up and down the chimneys delivering the presents. Either way, it is a bit out of date.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet We were on the Holland America Zaandam during that holiday period but we didn't hear anything about St. Nicholas' Eve or Zwarte Peit . I wonder why ? But they did have Christmas decorations and wished people a Happy Chanukah . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted December 18, 2015 #1625 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Interesting, perhaps it because HAL is owned by Carnival Corp out of Miami and has the US influence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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