So we left Tallinn on a 11:00pm bus towards Russia, hitting the checkpoint at about 2am. The scene was straight out of a Bond movie, with the old Russian guards and the worn out checkpoint that we had to get checked through before re-boarding the bus on the other side of the checkpoint. We all made it safely with minimal inquiries as to our intentions behind the iron curtain. The remainder of the bus ride felt like our brains were going to fall out of our skull due to the poor Russian infrastructure.We arrived at about 6:45 rushing off the bus....and of course, I forgot my bag with our camera and all our hotel information. Thank God Erin had the Top 10 St. Petersburg book in her purse. Just imagine arriving in a country where nobody speaks much english at 645am, not knowing where you are and having to track down your bag on a bus that you had no idea where it was going, nor how to track it down. That's what we were up against. We managed to find someone from our bus who instructed the cab driver what happened and we were off to the races, chasing the bus across the city....to no avail however. We were dropped off and the bus had already made the last stop and left. Have no fear though, as we made it back to our hotel and the super friendly receptionist was able to track it down for us. As our friend Tanya says on her super famous blog (see links to the right), the most entertaining stories are those that give you the most anxiety at the time.
Crisis averted, on to St. Pete's tourismo style. The city, though cold, was amazing. The city was very reminiscent of Paris, with long grandeur avenues, beautiful buildings, amazing churches. There are countless canals in the city that was founded by Peter the Great from a swamp in 1703 and the city was presented beautifully for the modern day tourist. 
We wandered to the church of spilled blood, with is one of the three most impressive churches we have ever seen (St. Peters in Rome and insert the second coolest Church...many tied for second). We estimated there are nearly 6-7 million pieces of mosaic inside the church as it was ENTIRELY covered in the beautiful stone designs. 
After the church we wandered to the nearby market and picked up some Matroyska dolls (the doll inside a doll inside a doll).
After the church, we wandered around the tourist sites for the rest of the day and went to the Caviar Bar for dinner. Below is St. Issac's cathedral, an amazing church.
The restaurant was in the Grand Hotel Europe which is probably the nicest hotel in the city as we were determined to sample authentic caviar (if making a decision based on experience, caviar is a must, but it is not for the cost conscious, so naturally we felt a little cheated when the bill came). 
After dinner we went to a university bar that had a good DJ and very local vibe (we were probably the only American tourists to ever enter the bar). 
The next day we went to the Hermitage, probably the biggest museum we have ever visited (it competes with the Louvre), spending nearly the whole day there (and we are not museum people). 
That night we sampled Georgian cuisine at a great local place that served wine in ceramic bowls and served great grilled kebab-style meats.
The following day we scheduled a tour to see Peterhof palace. It was really beautiful, but probably only worth the visit in the summer when the fountains are going. Regardless, it was a nice visit and we had a really great tour guide who had great knowledge to share about the sights, as well as Russian culture and history. After the palace, we went to a really interesting Orthodox cathedral in the suburbs and get to witness the palm Sunday service (which is actually Easter Sunday in the western Christianity). 
Following the cathedral, we went to a WWII monument that few tourists visit. It is all in Russian, so thankfully our guide was very helpful. If we think the war affected the US, it decimated St. Petersburg during the 900 day siege, where 2 out of the 3 million people in the city died due to the German attacks which cut off food supplies combined with the cold winter. Our guide told us how families survived by cooking leather and eating the flour used to seal wallpaper as there was no food. Her grandfather was the only one of 13 brothers and sisters to survive the siege.
That night we sampled Georgian cuisine at a great local place that served wine in ceramic bowls and served great grilled kebab-style meats. The following day we scheduled a tour to see Peterhof palace. It was really beautiful, but probably only worth the visit in the summer when the fountains are going. Regardless, it was a nice visit and we had a really great tour guide who had great knowledge to share about the sights, as well as Russian culture and history. After the palace, we went to a really interesting Orthodox cathedral in the suburbs and get to witness the palm Sunday service (which is actually Easter Sunday in the western Christianity). Following the cathedral, we went to a WWII monument that few tourists visit. It is all in Russian, so thankfully our guide was very helpful. If we think the war affected the US, it decimated St. Petersburg during the 900 day siege, where 2 out of the 3 million people in the city died due to the German attacks which cut off food supplies combined with the cold winter. Our guide told us how families survived by cooking leather and eating the flour used to seal wallpaper as there was no food. Her grandfather was the only one of 13 brothers and sisters to survive the siege. We followed up with dinner with some pizza and then ended our trip to Russia at the Grand Hotel Europe bar with a pint of Russian lager. Despite the early emergency, it was a great trip behind the Iron Curtain!
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