Back to what used to be USSR Part IV. ST. PETERSBURG

One more overnight train ride with a few hours in Moscow and we were at our last stop on our 12-day trip to Russia - St. Petersburg. This was another city where we followed the usual touristy route. The two days allocated for this visit was hardly enough to see the center of the city. We loved it. It has been my favorite Russian city to visit in the past and it is now. Despite of the negative but truthful stories about this city, it is still that place that is impressive and rich in history and culture.
We walked its wide Nevsky Prospect, took the boat tour along the canals, went to Hermitage (one of the largest art museums in the world) and the Winter Palace.

Anichkov Most (bridge)

Our daughter had her plan and we followed it. Thanks to her we went to Pushkin and Dostoevsky museum-apartments as well.

F.M. Dostoevsky's apartment

A.S. Pushkin's apartment

Every building we saw had so much history. You can bet that if you are standing next to a building in the center of the city, someone famous lived there.
I took many pictures of iron work that is everywhere in St. Petersburg. There are many bridges over the river Neva and canals and each of them has a distinct metal design. There are also many gates, doors, fences, building decorations.
This city was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as the "window to the sea" as he called it. It was built as a modern city, so it did not start with small wooden huts as Moscow did. We still admire those buildings in Baroque style. Peter, as Russians call this city with affection, was the capital of Russia until 1918.

The Hermitage and the Winter Palace

The Hermitage entrance

One of the beautiful ceilings in the Winter Palace

Inside of Saint Isaac's Cathedral

It is hard to choose right photos to show this beautiful city. If you follow the link at the beginning of this post to Wikipedia, you will see so many beautiful photographs with which my tiny camera cannot possibly compete.
We left Peter by train. Came to Moscow next day. That's where we said goodbye to our son and daughter until we see them in America. My husband and I continued our journey to four more countries.