A tale of two cities...

Moscow and St.Petersburg

Beautiful, full of life, full of culture
The fairy tale edifice of St. Basil’s Church
The historical significance of the Red Square
The walls of Kremlin and the Czar Bell
The wonderfully maintained Hermitage Museum
The very deep metro system with very high escalators
The contrast between the beautiful and the very plain metro stations
Beautiful girls with a terrific sense of style
A penchant for high heels on the uneven pavements
The sudden rise and fall in temperature
Inspiration from Venice, Paris and Amsterdam in St. Petersburg
The planned city, the criss-cross of river canals
The domes of the churches rising above humanity
The beautiful ballet performances
The very exciting circus
Huge gardens and open spaces
Gulf of Finland and lovely fountain
Bridge with trees of (wed) locks
Road side cafes and coffee
Expensive Taxis and traffic clogs
Merry-go-rounds and paddle boats
The museums and the palaces
The helpful people everywhere
The shopping malls and the Matreshka dolls
The sound of the Russian language everywhere
The fast trains, the heat
The stern attendants in public places
The food and drinks
The flowers and the fruits
Peter the Great and Catherine the 1st
Ivan the Terrible and other nobility
Lenin and Stalin and Pushkin everywhere

The tale of two cities is a remarkable one.