Approximate theme: buildings
The exterior of Kazan cathedral [59 56 3 N, 30 19 28 E] with its wide colonnades resembles a Roman imperial building rather than a place of worship.
Sound clip of service in Kazan cathedral (WAV format).
The architectural riot that is the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood [59 56 24 N, 30 19 44 E] was built as a memorial on the site of the assassination of tsar Alexander II in 1881.
The dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral [59 56 3 N, 30 18 22 E] has a handy colonnade which gives great views of the city (at least on a nice day).
View from the colonnade. No doubt with coffers swollen by oil money, lots of restoration work was going on. From this view you can see that many of the impressive buildings are actually built of brick with plaster facings in the form of stonework.
The Peterhof is a collection of palaces and gardens, just outside St Petersburg, which was originally laid out by Peter the Great. The Summer Palace (above) is a relatively modest affair.
The Grand Cascade beneath the Grand Palace. The sculpture in the foreground of Samson and the lion (Judges 14) symbolically represents the Russian defeat of Sweden in the Great Northern War.
It was noticeable that tourism was essentially aimed at Russians. The costumed figures presumably represent Peter and Catherine; we can only guess what Lenin would have made of all this…