• A scene at the Palace Square. This building is across the square from the Winter Palace (a part of Hermitage Museum). Obviously, the weather ws not very nice that day.

• Another picture taken in the Palace Square that same afternoon. The huge golden dome wrapped in the mist is St. Issac Cathedral, the largest cathedral in St. Petersburg (and looks like the sibling of St Peter cathedral in Rome). It's something looks beautiful even in such bad weather.

• A close-up of the Cathedral of Spilled Blood in central St. Petersburg. It is called "Spilled Blood" because Czar Alexander was assasinated right in front its doorway. It's a church with multi colorful domes, sort of like the Cathedral of St. Basil in Moscow.

• Another pictures taken in St. Petersburg's Palace Square. This one is Winter Palace itself. The Russian October Revolution started right in front of this building. Now it's the main building of the Hermitage Museum, hosting more than 1 million pieces of art.

• I stood in front of Catherine Palace, Pushkin, about 1 hour's drive outside of St. Petersburg. Catherine Palace is one of the 'big 3 Czar's summer palaces' outside of St. Petersburg. It is more magnificent inside (but I didn't bring my camera inside). The building is basically Baroque with a little twist of Russian orthodox style.

• Grand fountain in front of Peterhoff Palace, another of 'Big 3 summer Palaces'.........

More to come......