The Canals of St Petersburg, Russia

During our 2010 trip to Russia we only had time to visit one other city besides Moscow. Although there are hundreds of worthy cities to visit this choice was quite easy…St Petersburg. This incredible city was the on again/off again capital of Russia for decades. Founded by Peter the great it is Truly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The center of the city is made up of numerous canals (thus the nickname “Venice of the north”). These wide canals criss-cross through the city and are lined by beautiful seventeenth and eighteenth century mansions. In addition, numerous bridges cross these canals making for a truly spectacular urban design. One of the first things Lindsay and I did upon arriving is start exploring these canals. We would walk up and down, cross the occasional bridge and find every opportunity to sit and watch the boats go by (there are numerous open top tour boats that cruise around the canals). On one particularly sunny day we sat in one spot on the edge of one of the canal intersection for hours. We just sat and enjoyed the weather, the sound of water, the boats and the beautiful historic city all around us. St Petersburg and its canals truly make up one of the great European cities!


The pic above is the spot where we sat watching the boats for hours!