The question I get asked the most about my recent trip is, “What was Russia like?”. I think everyone expects it to be dark, monotone, and depressing. And don’t feel ashamed, I was thinking it would be like this too! It definitely has an assorted past with famine, communism, and wars so you can only imagine my shock when I arrived and it was vibrant, colorful, and beautiful! There were pink, yellow, and blue buildings which were beautifully reflected off the 93 water canals below the streets. It was absolutely a site to see! The people were kind and everyone was so proud to be living there and be Russian. It was a trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend putting it on your travel list!

Saint Petersburg Facts
Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar “Peter The Great” in 1703 and was built upon numerous islands – giving it the nickname, “Venice of the North.” The city was built to show Imperial Russia’s growing status in the world. Peter took inspiration from the Dutch, who strongly admired,  and built a city full of vibrantly colored buildings (which is why you see so much color to this day). This inception of a grand and powerful city was fine-tuned by Peters successors who employed a host of Italian architects to build grand palaces and cathedrals throughout the city. Saint Petersburg was capital of Russia from 1712-1918 and has been renamed three times – Petrograd, Leningrad and now Saint Petersburg.  It is now considered the “modern city” where both old and new can live 

Fun Facts
* Saint Petersburg has more bridges than any other city in Europe
* It is the largest city in Europe that is not a capital
* Out of 365 days they have 52 of sunshine
* There are over 200 museums, 100 theaters, 114 concert venus, 69 educational institutions, 70 parks 63 movie theaters, 1270 libraries, and 5,830 cultural landmarks
* It is the youngest city in Europe