Ekaterina Greeley
Dr. Lamon – Burney
ENG 101-303
7 March 2018
The Greatest Trove of the Russian Culture
There are many countries around the world, and each of them has its own culture. Usually every country has one or two cities that people can go to experience its culture fully. For Russian Federation such a city is Saint Petersburg. This city has a lot to offer for the visitors, and it is the best place to experience Russian culture and learn its history because of the amount of quality cultural activities, the convenience of public transportation, the affordable local food, and, finally, different options for accommodations.
Petersburg was founded in 1703 by the order of the tsar Peter I or Peter The Great, and it was the first town that was planned in advance. Nowadays, St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and also one of the world's major cities. Peter I named the city after the apostle Peter. Even though it is not a capital of Russia, Saint Petersburg is a fairly big city: currently more than five million people live there. Many people prefer Moscow, but Saint Petersburg has something that the Russian capital never had: a true Russian soul and well-kept traditions, which makes this city worth seeing.
Saint Petersburg has always been a popular city to visit among Russian citizens and foreign visitors. One of the many reasons for that is the amount of cultural activities that this city holds. Saint Petersburg has more than two hundred museums, but one of the greatest is The Hermitage museum. This museum is not just one of the biggest in Russia, but it is also the second largest in the world. The Hermitage was founded by Catherine the Great, the country' longest-ruling female leader, in 1764. The Hermitage used to be called The Winter Palace, which was a residence of the Russian monarchs for one hundred eighty-five years. This museum has been open to the public since 1852, and it has more than three million pieces of Russian and worldwide art. The Russian museum is also a gallery everyone should see: it holds four hundred thousand artifacts from a period of X to XXI. This museum complex is the biggest collection of Russian art, and it is located in the historical center of Saint Petersburg. Moreover, Russia has given the world one of the best poets and writers who created worldwide known literary works, and so, besides the art museums and baroque architecture to see, Saint Petersburg's guests are blessed with a rich theatrical repertoire, which is often based on Russian literature. Everyone can find a genre he or she likes: musicals, drama and comedy plays, ballet shows, opera, and etc. The tickets can be bought online and at the special kiosks which can be easily found throughout the city, or even at the subway stations. Indeed, the selection of cultural activities is large in Saint Petersburg, so it can be difficult to decide what to see.
The transportation in Russia is well developed; therefore, Saint Petersburg has a good selection of transportation: buses, trolleybuses, subway, tramway, taxi, and, even boats. The transportation has reasonable prices, and it is very convenient time-wise. The Russian subway, the metro, is recognized as a very clean transport in comparison to other countries' subway, and many stations have beautiful architecture, frescos, and sculptures. The metro has signs in the English language, which makes it easy for foreign travelers to navigate around the city without spending money on private taxi. Even though the city has a good selection of transportation, it can get very crowded during spring and summer because of the amount of visitors from all over the world, which makes autumn and winter the best time to travel to Saint Petersburg.
Russia is known for its simple, yet delicious comfort food, and Petersburg has many cafés and restaurants that provide Russian cuisine. Some of the most famous Russian dishes including the following: borsch soup that is best could be described as beef and beetroot based stew; different varieties of crepes with sour and sweet fillings; Russian salad, also known as Olivier's salad; dumplings, and, of course, various hot teas with freshly baked pies. Travelers can find these and many other foods anywhere in Saint Petersburg: from franchise restaurants to small food carts and trucks. Even though Russian food is not as famous as Italian or American cuisines, it is worth to explore because a lot of the recipes are healthy and nutritious with their ingredients for a human body.
When one's traveling it is important to have a comfortable, yet price-reasonable place to stay. Saint Petersburg has a very good selection of hotels, hostels and even private apartments to choose from. From a luxury hotels to budget-friendly apartments, the travelers can find a place to stay in any area of Saint Petersburg. Perhaps, for some foreign travelers it can be challenging to find a cheap, yet comfortable apartments in Saint Petersburg, since many of them are rented out by the private owners and it might require the travelers to speak some Russian language.
Because of the amount of quality cultural activities, great transportation, and good selection of accommodations, Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and is the greatest trove of the Russian culture and the art, that almost anyone can visit because of its affordability.