Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky
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Petropavlovsk is a port city on the Kamchatka Peninsular that can only be accessed by ships or plane. There are not a lot of cruise ships
visiting but those that do would find a very interesting place and our time here was a delight! We came into the harbour and could see the
magnificent vistas onshore and we were very keen to get off and explore. We have to tender off here and that was not a problem. Walking around the deck,
we had photos taken with the lovely backdrop of snow covered mountains. The brave people celebrated by jumping in the pool as per tradition and we were happy to watch and cheer on!
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A ship tour was the way to go as we wanted to see as much of this intriguing place as we could. off we went and drove through the township,
past the Vladimir Lenin Monument, the Monument of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and soldiers getting ready for a parade the next day. In the distance
were the two active volcanoes, Avachinskiy and Koryakskiy.Fishing is the mainstay of this city and the many ships/boats tell us that.
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First stop was to see the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church. The building itself was magnificent and once we went in could see the wonderful
icons and art work. The views from the church surrounds were magnificent and the snow capped mountains stood out above all. The volcanoes Avachinskiy and
Koryakskiy stood out beautifully on the horizon and the cloud that just floated across in front added to the picture!!!
Our tour guide was a University Lecturer who specialised in English. She gave us the most wonderful commentary and explained lots to
us on the way. A stop at Nikols Knoll to see Avachinskaya Bay from above was delightful given the snow drifts around us and to top it off we had
a great view of our ship below in the water! Back on the coach and off to see the Museum and hear about the early settlement of this amazing place.
There were stuffed bears and birds and much talk of the many voyages of the the early explorers and all in all a very worthwhile visit! Then a drive
through the town and we stopped at a Mall to do some souvenir shopping and were amazed at the quality of goods and the size of the fish market!
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Unfortunately our time here came to an end and soon we had to board the tenders and go back to the Celebrity Millennium! We were
told that it may take a very long time for Customs to clear the ship and it did...how the afternoon went by very quickly as the scenery was
so brilliant that we spent lots of time out on the deck snapping pictures wherever we could. Of course we had to wait till the ship was ready to
leave late at night to take the last shots of this very cold but fascinating place and we were rewarded with the wonderful photos of the ship
and surrounds leaving.
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