Russia 2013
In August 2013 we had a fascinating visit to Moscow & St Petersburg, spending only 3 or 4 days in each city. Not a lot of time when there is so much to see & do in each place.
We had centrally located hotels, which meant that each day we could easily walk to the main sights. In Moscow that was obviously Red Square, which was particularly magical at night.
The weather was overcast in Moscow, but brilliant (& too hot!) in St Petersburg as the photos show.
One morning Ann & I took the metro to the All-Russian Exhibition Centre which was a revealing insight into the changing Russian culture, where capitalist enterprise has taken over from the communist ideals.
It was a joy to travel on the Moscow Metro; a very efficient, clean and safe service in imposing surroundings.
The 300-year old city of St Petersburg was utterly different to Moscow. Peter the Great designed his new capital city to be more grandiose than any European capital at the time. He succeeded. There are probably more overwhelmingly ostentatious palaces in St Petersburg than anywhere else in the world. The Romanovs had it coming to them!
That said, for me, the Hermitage is one of the most memorable museums I have had the pleasure of visiting.
