As the plane began to land, I kept my head glued to the window, wondering what would be my first sight of Russia.  I strained to see through the white clouds and caught my first glimpse of this foreign land: all I saw was snow.  I am glad to say that after our stay in Saint Petersburg I was able to experience more than the snow, but it definitely provides a constant presence, even in the city.

The next day, we got to experience St. Petersburg, beginning the morning at The Hermitage.  I found the museum to be a beautiful representation of the "modernized" city.  Having visiting the Louvre before, I could not help but compare the two.  The Hermitage did not lack the impressive repertoire that the Louvre has, even with two million less pieces.  We visited the work of almost every major painter that I have heard of (in my limited knowledge of art) along with many others, though I did notice the lack of Russian art.  What I found more striking than the Louvre was The Hermitage’s lodgings.  The Winter Palace took my breath away more often than its paintings and sculptures.  I found myself taking many pictures of doors, floors, chandeliers, and ceilings rather than the art hanging on the walls.  While the architectural ideas were taken from other countries, the magnificence from them all stood collaged together in these buildings housed in St. Petersburg.

After an amazing lunch, we headed off to see more of the city and shop.  The Church on the Spilled Blood and the Peter and Paul Fortress where more of the architectural triumphs that we were able to experience up close. There were also many more sights that flew by during our bus tour of the city.  Exhausted, we stopped back at our dorm for food and then went off again to experience the city at night.  The metro was an experience in itself, so exciting that I made sure to ride it twice.  I soon grew tired and had to end my excursion in St. Petersburg and prepare for the day-long bus ride to Vytegra.