St. Petersburg was renamed to its original name after the fall of Communism.  It was formerly known as Leningrad.  It is renowned for many places and events, not the least of which is the start of the Bolshevik Revolution on the cruiser Aurora on the 25th of October, 1917.  This coup d'etat was not the overthrow of the Tsar, but was the overthrow of a provisional government set up when the Tsar abdicated in March of that year.  So Petrograd became Leningrad for 72 years and then was renamed St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg is the home of the Winter Palace, an architectural masterpiece.  Part of the Winter Palace houses the Hermitage, which is the repository of thousands and thousands of pieces of art, only a small percentage is able to be exhibited because of the cost of upkeep.

One of our favorite stories is one that typifies the curiosity, hospitality and genuineness of the Russian people.  My wife and I were with a tour group in 1991 and as we were confidant at that time of our ability to travel independently in Russia, we boarded the metro for a memorial called Piskarovskoye outside of St. Petersburg.  This was the site of the 900 days, the siege of Leningrad during World War II.  While on the metro, we encountered a young boy, and my wife offered him some gun or candy.  His mother allowed this by a nod and then very unexpectedly struck up a conversation with us in rudimentary English!  Well, we responded pleasantly and somewhat reservedly, but soon found our intuition telling us this was a kind and interested person.  We were invited to her home for tea and cookies and spent the next hour talking in a combination of Russian and English, and helping them with their PC game which was in English.  We found that this home was not typical of what we had heard of Russian apartments, since it had 2 TV's and a personal computer.  However, the business of the husband was in import of goods from Finland, so this was not a typical Russian family.  We have maintained contact with Olga and her family ever since this day.

Finally, take a walk down the Nevsky Prospect for a look at the Madison Avenue of St. Petersburg.  This is the main shopping street for the city and has many local shops as well as many shops with Scandinavian goods.  Along the Neva river, there are many outdoor markets and bazaars where art and souvenirs may be bought and bartered for.