Back in Moscow

Well we just ended our tour and are back in Moscow, returning soon to Canada. Times were short on the tour and I wasn't able to blog at all.

St. Petersburg was the most beautiful city to date. Previously known as Leningrad, it was the former capital of Russia before Moscow.

Pictured is the Hermitage, one of the world's foremost museums with over 3 million art artifacts in their collection. Interestingly, during our 4 day stay in "Peter", several art pieces were stolen by Hermitage staff. One curator took his own life as police continued their investigation. Very KGBesque.

This square is where Lenin led the Bolsheviks to overthrown Tsar Nicholas II. The granite pillar in the center of the square is not in any way rooted into the ground. A bomb or two would be sure to send it tumbling.

St. Petersburg is also home to the Russian mosquito, an extremely aggressive breed rivalled only by their Saskatchewan cousins.

Peter was a very beautiful city but also racist towards non-whites. While we never encountered anything beyond the odd stare, we were told numerous times to be wary on our own in the evenings and in the subways. During our stay, 4 white skinheads were acquitted of beating a young black man to death, and the local minority organizations were furious though not surprised by the verdict. Most people were nice to us on the streets on the whole.

One of our tour guides described the Russian culture as one of contrasts - I'd have to agree.