Back in the USSR

Well, Russia anyway. And technically it's my first time. But anyway... We arrived this morning in St. Petersburg. Our first experience was a bit rough. To save the $80 cab fare we schlepped our ginourmous bag to our hotel in buses and crowded metros. And the hotel itself was quite a shock. A buzzer let us into a dank, abandoned looking, smelly hallway. But then up a flight of stairs, through a thick metal door, and voila! Into our spare but clean "mini hotel."

From there, to the streets! St. Petersburg hits you with crowds of poeple, gorgeous, colorful buildings, and skankily dressed women. (Is that a word? It should be.) The main passtime seems to be walking up and and down Nevsky Prospect, which we did, until we got to the unbelievably picturesque "Church of the Spilled Blood." Here she is: