Maybe you remember John’s post about his trip to Saint Petersburg last year, which was a work trip. We went again this month so we could explore on our own.

With summer approaching and being so far north, it stayed light until after midnight. They call it White Nights and it totally messes with your internal clock. We found ourselves walking around downtown at midnight, along with just about everyone else:  the sidewalks were crowded!

The old center of the city is a collection of canals off the main river, the Neva, and one fabulous palace after another. The Hermitage museum, one of the largest art museums in the world, is in the Winter Palace on the Neva. There are some impressive churches and landmarks, since Saint Petersburg has always been an important part of Russian culture and politics.

There’s also an unusually large number of Irish pubs. We stopped into one for a refreshment which means a shot of ice cold Wodka! in Russia.