i.love.st.petersburg.

My favorite thing about Russia:

ST. PETERSBURG. I love it here.

Moscow's ok. It's a little scarier than I thought it would be, and lots dirtier. But St. Petersburg is so relaxed and peaceful, even in the crowded places. It's just cleaner, slower, and friendlier. I love it here.

We arrived at 8 this morning, and then walked all of a block from the train station to our hotel. It was a very good night's rest. I recommend traveling by train at night! So comfy. We were supposed to be sharing a compartment with two other people, but we got the handicap compartment instead, so we had it all to ourselves. We were totally spoiled. Trains are much quieter than planes, and the attendants don't wake you up every twenty minutes to ask if you want three potato chips or a half sip of coke.

This looks so Hogwarts Express to me. I couldn't help but yell out "Alohamora!" at our door. But it wasn't locked, so who knows if it would have worked.

We were a little worried about our hotel, because it was a last minute deal, and it's cheaper than the hostel where our friends are staying, but I don't know why it's so cheap. It's so nice. Free wireless, a real bed (the first we've slept on this summer) and a whole living room and bathroom to ourselves. I didn't realize how tired we were of living with someone else until we got here and we could adjust the temperature (nice and chilly.) and walk around in our underwear and take a nap in the middle of the day and go outside without a coat.

Speaking of coats, it's chilly here. It feels like Yellowstone in the summer, but it's at sea level. It's really nice. I. love. st. petersburg.

So, we got to our hotel, and they told us to drop off our bags until checkin time, and we went out for some hot chocolate for breakfast. There's a coffee house right across the street from our hotel, so we got fresh squeezed orange juice, hot chocolate, and some croissantwiches. It was a little early for me to be alive and I was a little jealous of all the coffee drinkers, but it was nice and warm and relaxed in there, so we hung out there until checkin time.

Then we took a little nap, and then met up with our friends for food. We went to a brewery, which was a little silly for us, because the only "beer" we ordered was nonalcoholic. The waitress didn't seem too impressed with us. But I wasn't impressed by her either. Her shirt kept popping open when she reached across our table to take our plates. How embarrassing for her. Anyway, Charles and I had some pretty good soups, and I was jealous that his came with sour cream, but mine was already cream of mushroom, so I guess I had enough cream.

Then Charles and I took a short "night tour" around the center of town, following the map the hotel gave us. I. love. st. petersburg.

It's so pretty here. And they have canals all over the place because they use the river as transportation too. It reminds me of Venice, but not so dirty. It was funny that we were technically taking a night tour, but the sun stayed up for us. All of these pictures were taken around ten pm, and the sky was gorgeous. That's something I've really appreciated about Russia this summer. The sky is so...huge. It's vast. I don't know why it doesn't look this big in Utah. The mountains? Anyway, I love the sky here the most. These pictures don't do it justice.

So, now we're just taking it easy for the night. Charles is taking a bath in our (personal! very own!) jetted tub, and I'm blogging in our (personal! very own!) bed. I. love. st. petersburg.

And Dad, this is for you. I thought you'd get a kick out of it.

Oh, and tomorrow we're going to the ballet. And yes I'm giddy about it!