Matrioshka Travels

In January 2012 I lived for one month in Saint Petersburg. It was basically an everlasting darkness. It was bright at 11:00 in the morning, and dark at 16:30. The most difficult were mornings when after waking up it was still dark for around three hours. And I mean it: really dark. As if every day you were to get up in the middle of the night and lead your life in a regular rhythm. I truly admire people who live in Saint Petersburg. Not only is it freezing cold most of the year, but it is also dull and grey even in May. I took this picture next to the Peterhof Palace. It is so gloomy that the sea is hardly visible. The second matrioshka was a gift from my Russian friend. What surprised me is that in Russia people give presents to each other at New Year's Eve. This is what I got. Of course, no matrioshka can replace the pink superstar from Estonia, so this is the only picture of the red one I've taken so far.  When you are in Russia, you better learn Cyrilic. I realized...