Can I start with another disclaimer? Hm, I'm not sure...This time its not about spelling (although that still applies), but about the cynicism with which this account is probably going to be written. Basically, I have to admit, my first impression of Russia was not a good one. If Berlin felt gritty, I'd have to say St Petersburg feels grimey. That's not so say it isn't pretty, it really is. Wide streets lined with crumbling European buildings, fancy plaster work, canals, bridges, squares, it has it all. The trouble is that the picturesque streets are filled with six lanes of choking traffic, the frozen rivers are scattered with beer bottles and the local people never seem to smile. It's that last point that bothers me most. In my naive state, there is nothing quite like having
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