When our Moscow adventures came to an end, Darren and I, plus our two new friends Vera and Daniel, found ourselves at one of the city’s many stations hopping on an overnight train to St. Petersburg.
Arriving the next morning, we checked ourselves in at Red House Hostel – a snazzy little spot right in the centre of the city.
Feeling slightly grungy from our train ride we all cleaned up and set out into the sun to explore. We acquired a new friend as well – Steph, from Australia. 
To say St. Petersburg is beautiful would be an understatement. Built to have a very western European feel, the architecture was stunning and lovely to look at. There was so much detail in every building and each one a different colour.
Walking along the main thoroughfare, we crossed over many canals where boats of tourists buzzed by.
St. Petersburg is right on the sea and like Venice, the waterways carve through the city.
The best sight of the day was the Church of Spilt Blood. It reminded me a lot of St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, with it’s candy like roof tops. 
It was the perfect place to snap a shot of our entire group.
As the next day was Daniel’s last, we spent the entire afternoon at The Hermitage.
One of the top museums in the world, it is gorgeous – and massive to boot! It would take you years to see everything.
Budget tip: If you have a student card, from anywhere, admission is free!
Not only is the art amazing but also the hallways and rooms are just as magnificent. We spent hours just moseying through gallery after gallery in awe.
To think that Catherine The Great used to call this place home. Wow! 
I loved how much gold there was but eventually I was pretty arted out.
To celebrate our last night together, Steph, Darren, Daniel and I hit the town and once again partied Russia styles, but this time we didn’t stay out until 7am.
With our new friend’s gone, Darren and I spent our last few days in St. Petersburg taking it easy. We explored some markets, chilled in cafes when it rained and spent one day at Peterhoff as everyone told us the fountains there should not be missed. 
Boy, were they right!
I don’t think I’ve seen fountains quite like them.
Later that same day we met up with two travellers from England. It was the very first day of their around the world trip and we had the honor of having dinner with them. It was refreshing to see their excitement and anticipation of what’s to come!
Thanks for the excellent evening Neil & Maerii!
Follow this duo at http://www.hobohop.com/.
On our final day, just before leaving St. Petersburg, we happened upon a military school that was having some sort of ceremony. Looking sharp as soldiers often do, we snapped photos to capture the scene.
I was particularly fond of this photo that Darren took. 
Leaving Russia, I am happy to say I had a fantastic visit.
A number of the preconceived sterotypes I had were proved wrong (as often happens) and I can now say I stepped foot in the only country larger than my own.
For the record, if I had to choose a favourite of the two cities I visited, my pick would be St. Petersburg.
It could have been the architecture or the general atmosphere, but I felt it was more my type of city. That said, I will give Moscow a special award for its exquisite metro stations.
Hopping on an overnight bus, we were off to our next country: Estonia!
