St. Petersburg is, hands down, the most beautiful city in Russia. The capital of tsarist Russia for more than 200 years, it has a trove of striking buildings and bridges set along the Neva River and its canals. Here are my five tips on what to do if your adoption journey takes you to the city.

1. The Hermitage: Centered on the former winter palace of the tsars, the Hermitage could be all of the most important things to see in "Petya" by itself. One of the largest... more

When I took Russian, about a million years ago, one of my favorite things to say was Saint Petersburg. You say it something like this (apologies in advance to people who actually speak Russian): Sankt Pyotersburgeeya. When I say it while frowning I can imagine that I can actually speak the language. It is very satisfying! It was also Saint Petersburg, rather than Moscow, that I really wanted to visit when we were in Russia. The Hermitage alone makes me long to go there -- and maybe we will, when the kids are older and we somehow become wealthy...

But enough silliness. On to the regional profile.

Here are some good websites about St. Petersburg: A travel-oriented site:... more