We are now almost down to our last week and there will be at least five ports to report on which will hopefully make for more interesting reading. Yesterday we woke to brilliant sunshine - amazing how it can make such a difference! Some people were lucky enough to have an excursion to the Solovetski Monastery which was apparently wonderful. The Monastery was founded in 1429 and is a working monastic centre and everyone said it was extra special. After breakfast we were able to sit on the deck and enjoy the sun until our afternoon excursion to the small island of Grand Zayatsky which was accessible by ship's tender and about a 20 min ride. While it looked bleak and uninteresting from a distance it was, in fact, very beautiful. Our tour guide, Valentina, spoke excellent English, said she teaches English in a school. We were shown around the island, which about 1.5 square kms in size, and this was done using a boardwalk in order to preserve the natural beauty. There are 13 labyrinths/mazes on the island, lots of stones/boulders and it is thought these mazes date back to around 2000 BC. No one is sure what they represent but the most likely explanation is that they're memorials to people lost at sea. There is a small wooden church built in the time of Peter the Great and still used on special occasions - very small and cosy. One old man is caretaker during the summer months.
Last night we had dinner with Ian and Caroline Collie and enjoyed the show afterwards.
Tomorrow we are in Murmansk and from all accounts that will be fairly forgettable!
Not liking that my mighty Pies are on a losing streak! I need to get home fast.
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