So we left Moscow and headed for Saint Petersburg on the last overnight train for our trip. Quite sad really. I have become quite fond of train travel in Russia. Anyway, we got a rude wake up call in the morning as our train arrived at 7am. The cold morning air (free of snow) and the echoing chants of taxi drivers begging for your fare. We got a map and made the cross town trek to our hostel, which turns our to be the Soviet style flat of an Englishman and his Russian girlfriend. We were the only people staying there and it is great. It didn't take us long to get adventuring around the city, and good thing we did too because the sun doesn't stay up too long around this neck of the woods. By 3PM it was well and truly set. We walked through the long clearly Russian looking streets passing various churches along the way and crossing over canals which make St P look more like Venice. The area that we are staying in, however practical, it is not the prettiest part of town. But St P is by far a fairytale of a city. Picturesque buildings line canals, the city skyline scattered with the spires of colourful churches, each with their own Royal tale of scandal. My favourite church so far is the Church of Christ's Resurrection which is set on the place where Alexander II was mortally wounded and resembles that of the SSt. Basils in Moscow. The inside of this church is incredible. Every inch of the interior is covered in tile mosaics of Christ and obviously the story of his resurrection. The domes that are overhead contain massive portaits of Mary and Christ. Really beautiful! We also visited the Russian Museum of Antropology which contains a section on Natural Phenomenon, aka. freaky stuff. There are specimens of deformed biology, babies with no brains, legs in the wrong part, two heads, two faces, cyclops and so on. Was a bit creapy but had been set up by one of the Russian royals. We also went and saw the Museum of Erotica, which was hilarious as it is located in a VD Clinic. I know what you are thinking....why? Well it claim to be the home of the genitals of one Rasputin and we couldn't resist! The process of entering was an adventure and a half as it was surposed to be free but when we came to enter they said that we had to buy something over 40 Rubles to enter. Then we had to put on booties like I wear at work even though the whole museum consisted of a corridor of porn. Anyway, I have to go but I will write again later
