St.Petersburg is one of the largest European cities. City population is about 4,5 thou. people. But a number of the able-bodied citizens is constantly falling. That’s why a lot of quest workers come every year to find here there employment. They work, as a rule, in the construction. “Baltic Perl” is one of the famous construction sites in the city which is constructed together with Chinese developers. Some thousands Chinese workers are already working there. It is planned as a new residential and business area in the outskirts of the city along the Finnish Gulf shore, the location is wonderful! About 35 thousand people will live there. It supposed to be the city of XXI century with a sound infrastructure, including...

About five years we have had mild winters and lost a hope for the real Russian winter. Each time New Year came with rains and slush. Scientists said: “Climate changes”. For the Russians heavy frosts and falling snow, and red-cheeked children with sleds and skis are symbols of winter and New Year. Fortunately, the situation has changed this year. Hurray! Both capitals - Moscow and St.Petersburg are covered with snow. It was a snow fall during the New Year night, and the people were happy. In St.Petersburg, city of white nights in summer and dark days in winter, the fresh fallen snow is sparkling with few oblique rays of evening sunshine and short winter days seem to be longer. One feel...

Even if you can't make it to St Petersburg to see The Hermitage museum you can see it on screen in the movie Russian Ark. The movie is set within the palace and is unique in that it was filmed entirely in one continuous shot. That's incredible enough but when you consider all the elaborate costuming and the ball and theatre scenes it really is spectacular. See the movie before you go and then go and see the real thing! 34 Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya , St. Petersburg 190000 Tel.: (812)110-90-79 Fax: (812)312-15-50 http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/

Russian Christmas is the 7-th of January. On the 6-th of January, Christmas eve, two hours before the midnight a night service is starting in all Russian orthodox Cathedrals. A lot of people come to the service. They are standing with candles until the “first star”. The central service is conducted in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow by the head of the Russian Cathedral, Metropolitan Alexy II. The history of the Cathedral begins on December 25, 1812. This was the day that the last soldiers of Napoleons' 600,000 man army were driven out of Russia. Emperor Alexander I signed a Manifesto ordering the construction of a magnificent Cathedral in honor of Christ the Savior in Moscow as a thanksgiving...