Travel Russia Today

St. Petersburg was a total shock to me, what a beautiful and amazing city! We arrived at the Astoria Hotel where we had views of St. Isaac’s Cathedral just outside our window; the snow covered streets and trees felt just like a scene from Dr. Zhivago! St. Petersburg is a city with an amazing architecture and history! Every sight you visit will give you testimony of the history of the creation of Russia.



I grew up thinking that Russians didn’t believe in God, but it was surprising to learn how the church went hand in hand with the emperors throughout history. To the Russians their monasteries and churches (you can see hundreds of onion domes in every city) were as important as their palaces. One can only imagine what wealth these emperors owned to be able to construct such magnificent palaces and how they were influenced by the European masters of their time in architecture and in art.

A visit to the Church on Spilled Blood or to St. Isaac’s Cathedral will leave you speechless, these are true works of art and are comparable to the finest in Italy. 
 
In modern times, I find that the people I met in St. Petersburg are very well educated and have access to the latest in modern technology. The younger generations boast the latest cell phone models, wear the latest in fashion and most of them speak English (very well).

The employees at the hotel were very well dressed and had excellent manners. I had the opportunity of talking with some of them over dinner and found that in general they are looking for a significant other, they dream of a family with children and they also dream of traveling and seeing the world outside of Russia.
 
I found that to the Russians, a perfect meal will last a couple of hours, sharing the food is just part of the experience, you must make a toast with Vodka while you are eating and it should be a compliment to the guest or to the host. In a typical Russian restaurant, lively music will be the background of hearty meals with the fruits of the region.

I found that Russians are very proud of their heritage, their history, and of their newfound wealth.