Russia :).. (St. Petersburg!)

Well, Moscow was completely amazing, but that isn't even half the trip!..

So, I guess I'm starting with Day 5 (March 11). The very first activity that we did in St. Petersburg was a 5 hour walking tour through all the beautiful parts of the city with our own tour guide. It was snowing outside and it made the city extra beautiful... Also, our guide was young and nice and really has a big passion for his city, so the tour was completely fun from beginning to end. He showed us famous places and even little communities that many people don't know about. Completely worth the 5 hours on our feet.

Then, we went back to the hostel to get ready for the ballet. We left in our huge American-sized herd and headed off in our fancy dresses and shoes. The theatre was beautiful inside and out, but the ballet on the other hand was contemporary and confused the entire group. If there was a mesesage locked inside of the dancing, we all missed it! But it was definitely a great experience that we were all happy we had. Then, we came back to our rooms and crashed.

Next day, March 12, we broke off into smaller groups and headed off in separate directions to explore the sights of the city. I went to Peter and Paul fortress where we went inside the cathedral and a small museum about the island that it's located on. After that we headed over to the Hermitage museum, which is the 2nd largest art museum in the world (after the louvre). So, needless to say, it was impossible to get through the entire thing in the 2 hour timespan allotted to us. Then, after a quick bite to eat, we headed back to the hostel to get ready for the opera. Again, we left in a nice American-sized herd to see the opera. It was a spectacular show by the way with very talented singers and actors in a small production. Then, we had free time to wander the city with whomever we chose. A few of us went to a restaurant to relax for the rest of the evening.

Next day, March 13, we woke up and headed out in small groups again to explore the city. My group decided to go to St. Isaac's Cathedral. It was so beautiful and it's one of the biggest in the world. We were even able to go up to the top and see the entire city from there. Then, my group went to the small pie place to eat lunch, which was some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. It was like bread filled with chicken, meat or sweets of any kind fresh and warm. Then, we met back at the hostel to get ready for the sauna (traditional russian sauna). WOW.. LOVED IT! The girls went to a sauna that we rented all for ourselves that had it's own pool, showers, and changing rooms. Such luxury! There was about 9 of us that spent our time there relaxing and chatting the afternoon away. Afterwards, we headed to Kazan cathedral, which was completely spectacular, to attend a normal Russian Orthodox service. Then, we had the rest of the evening to ourselves to relax and explore even more if we chose to.

Final day, March 14, the entire herd left to go see the Spilt Blood Church, which is a compltely incredible sight. The church was built on the place where Alexander the 2nd was killed and it was built to honor his life. The outside of the church is meant to resemble St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and the inside is nothing but Mosaics on the walls. Pictures do not do justice to this goregous building. Then, we went across the street to the market to buy plenty of souvenirs. After that we all headed back to the delicious pie place to eat lots more calories! yum! Then, we headed back to the hostel in order to collect our bags to leave St. Petersburg. But before we left completely, we went to the Feel Yourself Russian Show, which was full of singing and dancing all representing traditional Russian culture of course! Such a fun time. I even met other Americans who had come to watch the show. Then, we gathered our bags and were hurried into taxis in order to make it to the train station in time. Finally, we got on the train, which took us back to Riga through the night. Then, we got on a bus back to Klaipeda, where we made it safely home!

I will post pictures tomorrow!