Weekend excursion to St. Petersburg

On the advice of our hosts, we took a weekend excursion to St. Petersburg. We took a high-speed train (4 hour trip).

(Photo next to a not-so-high-speed train.)

While in St. Petersburg, we hired an excellent english-speaking guide named Irina. She is a native of St. Petersburg, has studied Russian history, and is incredibly knowledgeable of the history and culture of her city. Her tour allowed us to the vast majority of the numerous and incredible churches and palaces during our very short time. I would highly recommend her services to anyone who is planning to visit. The following is her website (on Facebook):
https://m.facebook.com/Musetours.SPb?_rdr

We visited the State Hermitage Museum which contains an abundance of historical works of art (Rembrandt, Matisse, Picasso, DaVinci, just to name a few) housed in an incredible palace.
http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/index.html

(Cord standing next to a painting of a man with a goiter)

We also visited a number of churches including Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood and St. Isaac's Cathedral. Both had incredibly intricate frescos and paintings covering the walls and ceilings.
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/cathedrals/st-isaacs-cathedral.asp
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/virtual-tour/church-of-savior/

We then explored a number of palaces, including the Peterhof (created by Peter the Great) and Catherine Palace (named for Catherine I). The latter includes the famous "amber room" which is literally coated with frescoes made of amber. It is incredible (but unfortunately, pictures are not allowed, so I found a picture on the internet).
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/peterhof/index.asp
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/pushkin/catherine-palace.asp