August 8th:
This morning we woke up at 4:30 to catch our train heading towards St. Petersburg, Russia. Despite the early wakeup, the enjoyable and comfortable train ride prepared us for this long day. I even made the Russian border guards checking my passport smile, which, according to every source containing Russian stereotypes, is a very very rare experience. Later, we visited many famous churches. My personal favorite was the Church on the Spilled Blood because of the fascinating mosaic covering its interior. Afterwards, we visited the Hermitage Museum in the Winter Palace. The art was breathtaking, but the paintings and carvings around the ceiling truly caught my attention. They also gave me the opportunity to take some great photos. After a long day, we introduced our stomachs to some delicious traditional meats at a local café. Overall, we all thoroughly enjoyed our first day with the Russians.
– Adavya Dhawan, ‘18
