I've had two frantic days in St Petersburg (although actually thinking about it I didn't act very frantic, maybe just my mind was frantic), but it has been really nice and it has more than lived up to the expectation set by everyone saying it is a wonderful city...
It has a much slower pace here, compared to Moscow, and because it is so much smaller it is easy to navigate and get around which makes it seem much more manageable. It is also very beautiful, and definitely feels the most european of anywhere I have been in Russia. I think a lot of it was actually designed by European architects, which would explain that. If I was going to live in Russia, I would live here. Maybe.
I arrived super early in the morning yesterday, and walked through the falling snow to find my hostel, very romantic (except that I was on my own...). A bit later on I met up with one of the guys I had met in Moscow and we walked around the main street, as long as we could bare the cold, stopping frequently for hot drinks and food... which was more a matter of survival than anything else. We also went to the wonderfully named "Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood", a big cathedral, not too dissimilar to St Basil's in Moscow, but the interior was covered in unbelievable mosaics, the detail of which was overwhelming. Because of the snow, and lack of sleep from the train, yesterday was mostly a wandering and not doing too much day, which was nice.
Today we decided to hit the State Hermitage, a massive art collection housed in St Petersburg's Winter Palace. People had already warned me that it takes an age to walk around, because it is so huge, and they were absolutely right, so we spent pretty much the whole day there (and could have spent longer). The building itself was amazing, with interiors of crazy level decadence, and the art collection was mammoth... It just goes on and on and on, I don't think anyone has ever been there and seen everything. I'm happy though that I got a good art fix, and since this is what St Petersburg is famous for, it seems appropriate to dedicate a whole day to the cause.
So, it is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to Russia... I think I could have, and would have loved to, spend so much longer here. I know that I've barely scratched the surface and what lies in this varied country. Next time, next time.
Tonight I start my next train journey... EU bound! I have 36 hours, via Belarus and Poland, to Berlin. I'm so excited to be back on (almost) home ground, and to meet up with wonderful old friends in Deutschland. Plus this is my last long train, so I hope to make the most of it, and then I will be quite happy when it's finished.
Not long until home! x
