"Do Not Fear The Intense Passion of St.... " a Saint Petersburg Travel Page by mydreamquest

From Helsinki, I took the afternoon train to St. Petersburg
on the Russian Train. I had my own room with a bed with
an antique like green interior.

It helped calm me as I was a little apprehensive of traveling
into Russia, a country with a complicated language,
different character of writing which I only understood vaguely
(Cyrllic), and a history and reputation which my country
had bestowed negative and dark qualities because of the
"Cold War."

Upon arriving at Finland Station in St. Petersburg, you hear
choral music that heats the cold night air with a new world
intensity. A world completely different than any experience
I'd engaged in in my travels. A world surrounded by diversity.
The faces looked Nordic, Arabic, Mongolian, even Turkish
and Indian, but all blended into an exotic nationality of its own.
I had no idea what to expect of Russia, its places, its people.
But I felt a hidden warmth and intensity about it instantly.

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I met Tatiana, my tour guide, with a driver where we zigzaggd our way through St.Petersburg traffic and found many gems. What you'll be amazed by is the amount of history St.Petersburg has considering it is a fairly young city, as young and possibly younger than even New York City.

Throughout the landmarks, you'll see many pleasant distractions, beautiful cathedrals such as St. Isaacs Cathedral here, and museums like the Hermitage.

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I recommend you stay at least a week as there is so much to see: the two DaVinci's at the Hermitage, the Guild Interiors at Catherines Palace, the beauty of The Swan Lake Ballet (trust me you must see a Ballet in Russia; I used to hate ballets: not anymore); and the climactic wonder of the many fountains outside of Peterhoff.

One other tip, if you're at the Hotel Moskva (Moscow); across the street is where Dostyevsky, Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, and Mussorgsky's final resting spots in an intriguingly calm cemetery just a shadows distance from the busy Nevsky Prospekt traffic.

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