Saint Petersburg, Russia

The highlight of St. Petersburg for me was the late night boat ride thru the canals and the Neva River; though I had been on similar rides in cities none of them quiet have the scale and grandness of this most European city of Russia.

However, despite this fact I prefer Venice and Amsterdam – two cities which actually were the inspiration for Peter the great to design this city which would become his new capital.

Besides the boat ride there is the never ending Hermitage Museum (which houses one of the world's largest and richest collections of Western European art),
Many interesting Cathedrals and even more Palaces – the most spectacular of which is Peter the greats’ own palace - Peterhof – with the fabulous Grand Cascade and Samson Fountain facing the Gulf of Finland.