When pondering the world of mother Russia many people conjure up images of lumpy old ladies, artic weather and iron curtains. Forget all that and start dreaming of gilded palaces, gourmet food and gorgeous men. The culture of today's Russia may hardly be recognizable to stale old Stalin. With business booming, Saint Petersburg is once again a jet set hub. Marc Jacob's and Naomi were spotted ogling Catherine the Great's frocks there last year and many cruise lines are making it their principle stop on Baltic tours.
On the gay front, Russia has always been chocked full of them. Think of the talented composer Peter Tchaikovsky, the gorgeous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky and the sexy art world impresario Serge Diaghilev who all lead relatively open homosexual lives in their day. When glasnost hit in the early 1990's the gays quickly formed alliances, newspapers, clubs and film festivals. Today in the major cities one shouldn't be too flamboyant but the Russian's seem very accepting especially when you are spending some money.
Saint Petersburg is great to visit any time of year. The bonus of visiting in the summer is White Nights, when the sun never sets and Russian's stroll though the city at all hours of the day and night. The drawback is that this is high tourist season. If you are ready to bundle up, visit in the winter when the Neva is frozen, the ballet is in full effect and the sun hardly shines. This is the Russia that only Russian's see.
When visiting 'The Venice of the North' be sure to allow ample time to tour the city and the country. The Russian palaces are a must see and put Versailles to shame. To see it all could take weeks so be sure to plan your trip and highlight churches, museums and palaces that are of utmost interest to you. But be sure to leave plenty of time for vodka and caviar!
--Cator Sparks
