St. Petersburg the Great

Celebrating an American holiday in a foreign land sometimes isn't the best idea, especially trying to celebrate your Independence Day with a man from the country you won your independence from.  That was just one of the fantastic moments of my trip to St. Petersburg the weekend of July 4. 
St. Pete's is unlike any other Russian place I've been -- first off, it's got Carl's Jr., secondly, it's got such a Western European feel you almost forget you're in Russia, thirdly, it's so amazingly beautiful you can't help but fall in love with the place.  From the moment we got off the speed train, til the time we returned to leave, I loved the city.  It's been called the 'Venice of the North' because of the river channels flowing all about the city.  The museums and palaces are top-notch, the architecture - immaculate.  5 million people in the city, but it didn't seem crowded, or dirty, most everything seemed happy and bright, even the sky never darkens for a few weeks during the summer.  In just one short weekend, I saw the city by foot, car, train, boat, and helicopter. We stayed in the American Consulate General's guest house, which was nice, the weather was perfect, and I even played frisbee!
It was practically my dream weekend trip, except for the snoring!  I found out I can't fall to sleep when I hear someone snoring.  Each night I had to hit my roommate when he started snoring so hopefully I could fall asleep by the time he started snoring again. Even after playing 'War' all night, starting at 2:30am, I wasn't tired enough to put up with it.  So it wasn't quite the perfect trip, but definitely a highlight, and a place I can't wait to return to.