Spring Break: Russian Style

So I have waited so long to post about my Spring Break trip to Russia because I’m not even sure where to begin, but since I can’t put it off till April, here’s my go at it.
Russia was everything and nothing like I expected. To be honest even though I now live so close I still have not learned a lot. Our SA leaders did a few presentations for us about Moscow and St. Petersburg and taught us at least the few basic phrases, but I still was very unsure about what I was stepping into.
Overnight train:
Amazing experience. It was tons of fun! We walked into the train and there are little sections, no doors or curtains, just walkways. There are four beds nicely bunked and a table on one side and on the other there was a table with bench that folded down into a bed. We had a lot of fun on the 17 hour train: told stories, chatted, played cards, ate, drank tea, napped and went through two border controls.
Moscow:
The city is HUGE! After being in Chicago last summer I was shocked that another city could be 4 times its size. The metro itself was an experience. There were escalators that stretched so long that you could not see the end of it. There were also beautiful mosaics and stained glass pieces around the different stations. Red Square was somewhat like I imagined, red and brick. But in all honesty, it was really pretty. You walk under the arch and you stare at St. Basil’s cathedral. This is truly a work of art. It was beautiful! The colors were so bright and rich! The Kremlin is a large estate that is full of beauty and history! We had a great, long and cold tour through it which was very interesting. We also went to a circus! It was so fun! There were animals doing all these crazy performances. Even monkey riding tricycles (Chunk)! The performers were great as well and it was all around just a really fun experience! Our stay in Moscow was short, but sweet then it was time for our 5 hour train to St. Petersburg!!
St. Petersburg basics:
The city itself is beautiful! It has a very interesting mix of history, while being modern at the same time. All the buildings around the city are different fun colors like pink, green, yellow and orange. It made the city come to life since they only get about 30 days of sun a year (we were blessed to enjoy one of them). Walking is the preferred mode of transportation. We got to the point where walking 30 minutes was an incredibly short walk. There were SO many cafés all around the city! Everywhere you turn and they were all different! It was so fun to go and hangout at these cafes every night pretty much!
Churches:
All around the city there are beautiful historic churches. I felt like we were always walking into or around the churches. We even saw a Mosque and attended a Russian orthodox service. It was quite an experience and I’m really glad that I got to go. St. Isaacs Cathedral was beautiful! We got to climb the 200 steps to the top and look out on all St. Petersburg. It was an amazing experience and so incredible to look around the city from such a different perspective.
Hermitage:
2nd largest art collection to Louvre and we got to spend a few hours exploring it. We did not even begin to see the whole museum in those hours. The art in it was beautiful and you go to see pieces of art that you’d seen in history books. I’m not the biggest art fan, but through Arts in the City (yea, I said it Clairebear :P) I have grown to have a much greater for art and the story behind it.
Food:
The food was great!! Some of the faves were “American-style” pizza (I know, I know), an orange Russian soup, huge pastries type food (one filled with meat and another with cheese), Russian pies (Jenn and I split a lingam berry one), tiny pastry pies and ice cream!
Church of Split Blood:
Ok, we need to just google this to check it out! It is beautiful, my favorite part of the city. From the outside you can see the beauty of it and also a piece of the destruction of it. (Google or ask if you want to know about the history) The story is incredible. Inside the whole church is mosaic, all these tiny little pieces that when put together create a masterpiece. Each piece of art is significant, they all tell a story. As you stand, walk around and turn you are just in sheer awe of what you see. Once we went outside Emas had someone read Psalm 139 and it truly blew me away! God’s presence was just so strong in those few moments, it blew me away!!
Those are the basics…if you want more details just let me know! (There are some that I decided not to post, but may be interesting to some :P )
Happy April Fools 

Please enjoy these pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037339&id=1236840181&l=982f55cf0b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037316&id=1236840181&l=f30bded177