Russia

As you know I loved Siberia, it was the highlight of our adventure for me. The rest of Russia was also a very interesting.

My first time inside a Russian Orthodox Church was in Suzdal and it was breathtaking. The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin was highly decorated with paintings and decked out in gold. The spires and domes gave the village a feel of a deserted fairy tale. We had dinner at a local lady, Eliena's house where she cooked blini (pancakes) and we drank vodka within a glitter wallpapered room while techno was playing.

Standing in Red Square, Moscow with the amazing St Basil's Cathedral behind us was surreal. It was cold which was just as it should be. We saw Lenin's body glowing like a glowworm, wandered through Guum (although it has not retained its Sovietness) and had a guided tour through the Kremlin where we were lucky enough to view the beautiful Faberge eggs.

St Petersburg was pretty (with an icy cold wind) and reminded me very much of the beautiful European cities. The Hermitage was amazing, the collection extensive and hard to fathom. I loved standing in the room of Matisse's paintings.

We watched Russian women running for their bus in stiletto heals on ice, were told to be quiet in Lenin's Mausoleum and were served hot chips for breakfast. Russia was intriguing and bizarre. Moscow is the city I would choose to return to as it had an amazing energy and I would love to explore more.