So long, and thanks for all the...Butusov

A few days ago, our group left Moscow for the more European St. Petersburg, and I suppose the best way to put this is- I miss Russia. Yes, I realize the people speak Russian, the plays we're seeing are by Russian professionals, but honestly it just doesn't feel like the same country to me.

The incredible Russian (and sometimes Soviet) architecture has been replaced with cookie-cutter Italian 17th centuary, minus the churches every building looks the same. And although impressive, those churches are distinctly European. There is  a grand total of one place of worship in Petersburg that has the distinct Russian candle shape, which feels disappointing after everything we've seen. We are surrounded by great food, but we're also literally surrounded by KFC and Subway. While the "Craft Brew Cafe" was very good, it also wasn't very foreign. 

Not to say the city itself is unimpressive. The sculpture work and plethora of museums dotting the city are more than worth the trip, and having an English speaking waiter at every other place I eat is definitely a breath of fresh air after several weeks of struggling. Still I find myself...missing Russia. This trip has been far from my first time abroad, and not even my first time in the far east, but the culture of Russia is so distinct that I can't help but feel the metro stops here are lackluster. 

But no mall rat could argue with the Dostoevsky hotel/shopping centre combo :)