Bob and Marilyn. that is so sad. It sounds and looks marvelous however. Friends of ours took a Baltic Cruise in 98 and stayed 2 nights there, and were quite taken with the place. Said it was better than Venice. Judy :-)

They did fix up St. Petersurg for its 300-year anniversary earlier this year. For a tourist it's picture perfect. However, many of its residents still live in cramped roach-infested apartments.

Marilyn remarks about St Petersburg

>...The state of disrepair of some of the buildings, however, was sad to see. An elderly gentleman who was a complete stranger was obviously embarrassed by the decay and remarked to me, "It was not always like this."<

Interesting coincidence, I had an elderly gentleman say the same thing to me about Venice.

Hi Christina,

Isn't it odd what these computers can come up with?

Not everyone likes every place. I can't stand Florence; I love Venice. It has a lot to do with each of us being individuals with our own experiences, outlook, likes, dislikes.