The travels have been busy, and I’ve been with my two sisters and niece, as well as many relatives in Finland. So no essay this week, but here are some of my favourite pictures from St. Petersburg, Russia.
Where else could this be but Russia?
As in many other places, I was stunned by the opulence in St Petersburg, particularly at the Hermitage. How could so few have so much? When so many lived in such horrible poverty? Yet the same question could be asked today.
This ship fired the shot that signaled the start of the Revolution, the attack on the Winter Palace. The building in the background is the KGB (now FSB) headquarters. The joke we heard was, “It’s the tallest building in Russia. Even from the first floor you can see Siberia.”
St Petersburg can truly lay claim to the title, “Venice of the North.”
Ah, Russian food. Even in an Israeli deli, there were beets, sour cream, and cranberries.
Leaving St. Petersburg.
It was only a tiny taste of Russia, as I continue my brave travels.
Brave Travels 