Point Me in the Right Direction

The Tour Guide, Moscow and St. Petersburg in a Nutshell

You would think a week would be enough time to get to know a city. It seems like a long time, especially when you're traveling. I can't tell you how many times I've been on trips for two days here, two days there. The classic, "If this is Tuesday, it must Belgium.” I've been to Paris, but I don't think I know it.

The goal here is to do a lot more than see a city. That just scratches the surface. I hope to spend enough time in a place to begin to appreciate how its parts fit together.  Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for almost 40 years, I think I know it well enough to understand it. One of the things I understand is that it would take a lot more than two weeks to show a stranger what it takes to know San Francisco the way a local does. You have to leave some things out.

The question is what to do and what to skip. Not surprisingly, that same dilemma confronts me at each of my stops. The guidebook was supposed to help me sort that out.  For Russia, I chose Nelles Guide. It got great reviews online for its cultural perspective. Perfect, I thought, as I ordered one from Amazon. I had never heard of them, but a European perspective and copies in good condition for less than $10!  All good.

It is good. Just a little out of date. Published 1998. Still, it provides a great perspective. A snapshot of the country newly freed from the Soviet era, learning how to cope with the massive changes.  In 1998 they were having a lot of trouble figuring out what to do with all the relics of the Soviet past.  Ten years later, I am guessing they have come to terms.  I can't wait to see what those terms are.

It also confirmed my worst fears, two weeks is nowhere near enough. Moscow and St. Petersburg hold dozens of treasures.  The Hermitage alone deserves more than a day.  I'm already sad think of all we will miss, but at least now I think I know how to decide what to miss.  Just won't have time for that third church...