St. Petersburg Scenes
 
 
 
 

Our Metro station, at Vosstania (Insurrection) Square.  We were told it used to be a church, but similar buildings serve as Metro stations all over Russia.  The Metro in St. Peterburg is quick and works well, but the stations are seldom right where you want them to be and the crowds can be a bit intimidating to the unitiated.  After David's pocket was picked on a semi-crowded bus, we were nervous about getting on any crowded vehicle.  Later we realized that the people on the bus were not behaving normally--normally the crowds, especially on the Metro are quite polite, being very careful never to push or shove.




St. Peterburg has a lot of old buildings that are badly in need of restoration.  Although the city is much newer than Moscow, it has not been as heavily rebuilt, so more older buildings are left.



The "Cat House" restaurant, walking distance from our hotel, has traditional Russian specialties, an English menu, reasonable prices, and fast-food style service.  We ate there more often than Ruth would have preferred.



The buffet down the hall from our room on the fourth floor of the Oktyabr'skaya (October) Hotel.  No English menu, but you couldn't beat it for convenience, and the staff was friendly enough after you got to know them.  The furnishings and the plumbing at the Oktyabr'skaya are old, but our room was spacious and the location is convenient.