Russia
How to you describe Russia? It’s like being in a fairytale. The structures look as though they were the inspiration for every Disney princess’s castle. It’s also cold in Russia….very cold, and I was only there in November! (I can’t imagine what it’s like in February) But it’s not easy to get to Russia. I had to go through the Russian Embassy prior to my leaving the US back in July and fill out about 20 pages of forms, have my passport taken for a week and get my official tourist visa for $175 to visit for 4 days, so I had to make the most of it.
I took off for 2 days in St Petersburg, before heading to Moscow for my remaining 2 days. It was a last minute decision to book to St Petersburg and I’m really glad I went. It was incredible. I just couldn’t get over the architecture. Every 10th building seemed to be modeled after Candyland and it just made the city pop with color and vibrance.
On my last day in St Petersburg it started to snow on my walk home and it was so magical. Winter is my favorite season and to be able to see my first snow in November made me a little home sick….and the snow followed me to Moscow. When I got up to walk around the city center the next day there was about 6 inches of snow that had accumulated throughout the night. I layered up in everything I brought with me and headed out to brave the storm. As miserable as the weather was, (we are talking bone chilling cold with wet sleet coming from the dark sky) the fresh layer of snow on the fairytale buildings made me feel like I was walking through a storybook. It was magic.
The architecture and overall feel of Russia so far in my travels has gone unrivaled. It’s unlike any place I could have imagined and I’m so glad I got to experience it.
