Russia - First Impressions

Over breakfast, we held an impromptu discussion about first impressions of Russia. Here are the mental images registered by the group:

O Rural poverty seen from the train on the way to St. Petersburg - Run down, abandoned industrial buildings in vacant, rubble strewn lots bordered by chain link fences. Peasants working agricultural fields by hand.
O Once in the city, soldiers and policemen were everywhere, making the place seem like police state.
O Downtown, there were many young women dressed to kill out for a Saturday night on a warm summer evening.
O Magnificently architected buildings bordering wide streets and canals. Yet another astoundingly beautiful building around each corner.
O Rude people who push past you in a crowd.
O Loud, fast motorcycles racing down the street, one popping a long wheely in busy traffic. Many fancy foreign cars.
O A super nice, friendly cab driver.
O Fast, painless clearance through Customs.
O Exquisite, shady parks with many fountains and statues.
O Very good local beer. Great live music in the pub.
O A warm welcome at the hotel, complete with tea and dainties upon arrival.

Joining us for this "leg" of our journey are our Austrian friends Martin and Dawn Neumayer and our British friends Chris and Anne Adams. It was the first time in Russia for all of us except Martin who had been to Moscow once before. Our itinerary includes many "must see" tourist destinations with some unstructured time to get a feel for the place.