Я не говорю по-русски (I don't speak Russian) part 2

CAHKT-ПETEPБУPГ--St. Petersburg--- aka "Venice to the North"

Seriously, A-mazing.  So beautiful (in the touristy sections) and so much history of previous rulers and ways of life. In the not-so-touristy parts there are those sketchy/dangerous-looking neighborhoods which stand to remind of previous government choices (think Soviet Union/USSR).... however you just choose to stay away from those areas and just read about them :). 

     The architecture in downtown St. Petersburg is breath taking. There are so many timeless buildings which a 5x7 photograph on a blog will never do justice to their majesty.  Not to mention, the first three days we were there, it was raining like crazy.... so many of the pictures are 'gloomy' unfortunately. 

    I filled a 16gb card on this vacation. Seriously. SO.... rather than just talking about St. Petersburg, here are a handful (in comparison) of pictures to make you feel like you were part of the adventure. 

Wearing a heavy fur coat.... and then walking her little nearly shaved chihuahua. Interesting.

And Then there was this lady's hat....... I discovered that People watching is even more fun in Russia than in Phoenix..... However, they were probably thinking the same thing about us "sloppy Americans" in our winter coats and tennis shoes. :)

A Local, original, Family owned candy store (though obviously restored and lately dedicated to tourists).

PUSHKIN PALACE AND GARDENS

It wouldn't be a vacation with the Wrights, without a jumping picture or two.

CATHEDRAL ON THE SPILLED BLOOD

Hat Shopping

 ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL

 We walked up just under 300 Stairs to get to the top of the Cathedral........

 However, this view in these pictures was WELL worth the hike up the stairs!!!!

NEXT STOP:  Hermitage Square

The Hermitage Palace It contains over 6,000 rooms filled with art. The Winter Palace portion pictured behind us is approximately 650,000 square feet.... however the total hermitage museum is 1,978,622 square feet.  The next 5 pictures to follow are from the inside of this amazing palace. Pictures to not do this palace justice. 

Hotel Vera (where we stayed)

Inside Peter and Paul's Fortress (notice my Mother-in-law's knee in the lower right hand corner of the picture in an effort to capture the entire building behind us.... lol). 

Testing out the sturdiness of the ice....as evidenced by the visible water shown along the edge in the picture, the experimental results revealed the ice to not be very sturdy.... go figure.

SUPER SNICKERS.... Two snickers in one wrapper, and supposedly per a blind taste test among several missionaries who served with Stefanie, they are even better than the Snickers made here in the US

Catching the Overnight train to Moscow

In our cozy overnight train car that slept 4.  Unfortunately, there were 5 of us on this trip.... meaning Rocky was in a train car with 3 complete strangers who not only kept the light on until the wee hours of the morning, but snored very loudly.  Rough night for Rocky!!!!


All in all, I absolutely loved St. Petersburg... However I think it would have been a very different experience had we not had Stefanie with us.  I feel so fortunate to have been able to see the sites and experience a new culture, with the benefit of a "live-in interpreter" (Stef). You don't realize how much you take for granted communication, until you can't use it at all.  For example, try ordering from a restaurant menu when there are no pictures, it is written in Russian, and the waiter doesn't speak English.... Or telling a cab where you would like him to take you when neither of you speak each other's language, and you can't read the map he's showing you (because it's in Russian).  Needless to say, Stefanie saved us time and time again, multiple times throughout the day. I have never felt so DEPENDENT in my life on someone as I did during this trip. It made me grateful for the communication I do have, and a degree of empathy for those I often encounter through work at the hospital who do not speak English. 


....... Next Stop....... MOCKBA (Moscow)