Seems like everything in this town is supersized. The buildings tend to be huge, not so much tall as long and imposing. I think I've seen 70 buildings that would look right at home on the mall in D.C., and this isn't even the current Russian capital (it once was). There are rivers and canals everywhere, and a population of 5 million in a country with a shrinking population. St. Pete is supposed to be the fourth largest city in Europe, after London, Paris, and Moscow, not necessarily in that order. I do know the tsars created some stupendous palaces, about which more later.
Russians have a famous sense of humor. Some years ago an elderly Russian was interviewed for European TV about his life. He said "I was born in St. Petersburg, went to school in Petrograd, got married in Leningrad, and now I've retired in St. Petersburg." The EuroTV interviewer asked, "You've moved many times?" To which the elderly Russian responded, "No, I've lived in the same neighborhood the whole time." The point of the story is that the name of this city has been changed repeatedly, depending on what was going on politically.
We went to Catherine's Palace this morning. That is some pretty nice digs, mate. It has beautiful grounds too. The old gal lived well, she did. Can you say "lap of luxury?"
