Further along the highway to St Petersburg, having relieved you natural urges along the way, you arrive at the city of Narva. This town marks the northern end on the river Narva that flows daringly along the border between Estonia and Russia. A border that is more clearly defined further south in Estonia by the huge lakes Peipus and Pskov.

Clearly there have been troubles at this easier crossing point in the past because straddling the river, in a face off, are two huge medieval fortresses: The well restored Narva Fortress on the Estonian bank staring at the Ivangorod fortress on the Russian bank.

This town has for much of history marked the frontier between Russia and Scandanavia or Europe, depending on the split of the West, and many violent battles have been fought on the banks of the river. Perhaps most noteably between the Swedish and the Russians who have confronted each other here twice between 1500 and 1700.

Unfortunately a rather expensive and prearranged visa is required to cross to the Russian side and even then the queues to cross the border can be tiresome, but you can be quite content with the Narva fortress with its gallery and museum dedicated to all of those battles fought here from within and around its walls