It’s late autumn in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The crops are harvested, the pregnant livestock aren’t due to begin giving birth for a few weeks, and the snows of winter haven’t arrived yet. So the Feenstras — Arend, Anneesa, and the “middle children” — decided to take a five-day trip to beautiful St. Petersburg.

Unlike some of their other excursions, this one does not appear to have included the red-carpet treatment: no large van for the whole family, no camera crew, no welcoming committee, no luxury accommodations. But Arend said it’s been on their “bucket list” for a long time; so without further explanation, there they were, in the glorious former Russian capital on the Baltic, presumably leaving the oldest children — Cora and Wesley — in charge of the farm and the youngest siblings.

As usual, the intrepid group took off on foot. Having been to St. Petersburg myself a few times, I found it very walkable, and a good way to appreciate the beautiful architecture, parks, and waterways; so I was glad to see them following in my footsteps (so to speak).

Their first recorded stop was Petropavlovsk: the Peter and Paul Fortress. Arend immediately compared it to a favorite fort of his in Nova Scotia — Fort St. Louisburg — which he described as being more beautiful, and free . . . as in free of charge. Here, however, they had to forgo seeing the interiors of the various buildings because of the high entry fee for each one, including the cathedral; so they were obviously traveling on a budget this time.

Finding Petropavlovsk disappointing, they next headed to the St. Petersburg Zoo, where they could commune with the animals. They enjoyed that much more, and spent the rest of the day there, at a cost of about 3,200 rubles (roughly 60 Canadian dollars). Arend described it as “more our speed,” which was not surprising . . . they are, after all, lifelong farmers and lovers of nature.

And that was the extent of the video. I expect that there will be more to follow, since they were there for five days. I do hope they cover the high spots, such as the Hermitage Museum (formerly the Winter Palace of the Tsars), St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Mariinsky (formerly the Kirov) Theater, the famous Savior on the Spilled Blood Church, a stroll along Nevsky Prospekt, and — if they can afford it — perhaps treat themselves to a boat tour along a few of the city’s many canals.

As Arend said, they’re not city people; but it would be a shame to miss this opportunity to take full advantage of their first visit to one of Europe’s most beautiful and historic locations. Unfortunately, it’s also an expensive city, so they may be limited.

Just one word of caution: they should be careful to stick together and keep their money and passports well hidden. I was nearly mugged there, in a crowded area, in broad daylight, back in 2009. I don’t imagine it’s become any less risky since then.

I’ll check in with them again tomorrow; hopefully we’ll have daily updates from the happy wanderers.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/2/26