St. Petersburg owes its existence to the Russian Tsar Peter the Great, who commanded that a modern city be built on the northern marshes captured in a military campaign. From this inauspicious beginning rose St. Petersburg, Russia's "Window on the West." The city was planned by Italian architects, and the main buildings constructed over a relatively short time period. What Peter began, his daughter (Empress Elisabeth) completed, although her taste for the more elaborate Rococo style is clearly evident. The city's historical sections are a wonderful showcase of 18th century Italian architecture.

As you walk through the city streets, it is easy to see how St. Petersburg earned the nickname "the Venice of the North." Canals criss cross the city center, with graceful bridges arching across to allow passage. The buildings along the canals are painted in soft pastel colors with white trim, deepening the resemblance to a European city.

St. Petersburg is a city of beauty, of White Nights, home to the Kirov (Marinsky) Ballet, magnificent palaces, and the revolutionary battleship "Aurora." Sadly, it is also the center for organized criminal activity in the new Russia. Visitors should not be deterred, but would be well advised to exercise caution, as they would in any large city.

One benefit of working in a Russian school as an English teacher was that I qualified for the same discount admission rates as the Russians. For less than fifty cents I was able to hang out in one of the most famous museums in the world.

As you've probably guessed, I spent MANY afternoons in the Winter Palace. I must say that a grey February day is perfect for going to the Hermitage--I practically had the place to myself.