St. Petersburg, Russia
July 1-3, 2011

This was our first time in St. Petersburg, and I absolutely loved it. A beautiful city with so much history. Build on a swamp by Peter the Great (or at least by his serfs) to provide Russia with a Baltic port, St. Petersburg has emerged from its extraordinarily difficult past and today is a vibrant city of 4 million people. Its spectacular palaces, classic European-style buildings, grand rivers and beautiful canals make "Venice of the North" a must see.

Day 1

Our wonderful guide Galena and driver Nicolai met us just outside of passport control for the first of our three day tour.

























Promoted as one of the four great museums of the world, the Hermitage is actually a series of buildings built initially by Catherine the Great. Not sure it is quite in the Louvre class, but it is certainly boasts an impressive collection.