Capital: Moscow … 144,500,000 People … 17,100,000 km² 
The Country
As the largest country in the world (nearly the same size as Pluto), Russia has been an extremely influential country for hundreds of years. Russia is known for many cultural aspects, especially for its love of vodka. This is highlighted by the fact that the name “vodka” originated from word “voda”, which means water. After the fall of communism, traveling to Russia undoubtedly became easier to achieve; from exploring the incredible architecture in major cities to enjoying cultural phenomenons such as Russian ballet and countless museums, Russia is a truly unique country unlike anywhere else in the world.
Fun Facts:
There is a restaurant is Moscow named Twin Stars Diner, which only employs twins.
Russia shares its border with 14 countries, the most in the world.
When giving flowers in Russia, it should never be an even number of flowers unless they are for a funeral.
My Experience
My day in St. Petersburg began with a drive from a port in the Vasileostrovsky District to the Winter Palace, the home of Russian royalty until the Russian Revolution in 1917. When I started to explore inside the Winter Palace, it became clear how incredibly large the building is. With over 1500 rooms, it is estimated that it would take 11 years to look at each exhibit for one minute. Words truly can’t describe the extravagance of the palace. Filled with masterpieces from artists such as Rembrandt and Botticelli, the museum also has historical artifacts from all over the world (including Egyptian mummies and Greek sculptures).
After spending many hours wandering the many rooms in the Hermitage Museum, we made our way to Savior on the Spilled Blood church. Although it was unfortunately under construction, the memorial to Alexander II was still an extremely impressive building. I had an impromptu photoshoot with some Australians before going for lunch at Nikolaevsky Palace, another beautiful building which was one of the last palaces built for the imperial family. After eating some “authentic” Russian food (such as Greek salad and cherry ice cream), we watched a show of incredible folk dancers dancing to traditional Russian music.
After the show, we went to Zdaniye Birzhi, the Old St. Petersburg Stock Exchange on Vasilyevsky Island. The building is on the Neva River, and provides great views of the Peter and Paul Fortress across the water. It was a hot August day, so many people (including myself) were relaxing by the water. After some relaxation, we crossed the Palace Bridge and drove by Alexander Garden. Every turn we made, we saw stunning architecture; there are more than 50 palaces in St. Petersburg, each with its own unique style, and gold is a predominate part of churches, bridges, and monuments.
Next stop was St. Isaacs Cathedral, another extremely impressive church. Decorated with over 900 pounds of gold (worth nearly $25 million CAD today), the cathedral is also decorated with 16 tons of malachite, 1,100 pounds of lapis lazuli, and 1,000 tons of bronze. Not only is the cathedral lavishly ornate, it also has a rich history. In 1931 the Soviet government removed all religious decorations and turned the building into the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. A large dove sculpture (symbolizing the holy spirit) that hung in the dome of the church was removed, and replaced with a Foucault pendulum to showcase the rotation of the earth. It wasn’t until the fall of communism that the museum was removed and church activities resumed. I felt I could stay in St. Issacs Cathedral for hours simply observing the small detail in all the artwork and decorations, but my time in Russia unfortunately had to come to an end. I bought a few bottles of Russian Standard Vodka and a Ushanka, and went back to the port to continue my trip to Finland.
Photos of Russia