"My Favorite City in the World " a Saint Petersburg Travel Page by mayafly

I've done a lot of travelling, and for some reason, St. Petersburg is my favorite city in the world. The old part of the city, interlaced with canals and the Neva River flowing into the Gulf of Finland, is quite beautiful, especially during the White Nights, when the twilight stretches on for hours until somehow, without your noticing it, it melts into the dawn. But St. Petersburg is more than just Peter the Great's fantasy European-style capital and memories of Imperial Russia. While St. Petersburg lacks the New York-feel of Moscow (or indeed any huge city these days), it is by no means provincial or slow. The city's amazing history and its participation in the dynamic changes taking place in Russia today give it a pulse and an identity that sets it completely apart from other Russian cities. I guess it is this uniqueness that makes so many people fall in love with it. It is full of the craziness and contradictions that make me love Russia, but it is also something that is completely different. I guess you just have to go there to experience it!