November 2003 stay in Irkutsk, the capital of Siberia.

November 2003 trip to Lake Baikal in Siberia.

November 2003 stays in Moscow, one before going to Velinky Novgorod and one afterwards.

November 2003 pictures of St. Petersburg. Beautiful city, despite the terrible weather while I was there.

Dostoyevsky lived in St. Petersburg when he wrote Crime and Punishment. The Lonely Planet: St. Petersburg has a walking tour that follows Raskolnikov's route from where his little attic apartment was located to the apartment in which he murdered the old women. Outside Raskolnikov's apartment there is some grafiti on the wall saying things like, "Rodya, don't do it!" The path today still goes through poorer areas and is pretty freaky.

located to the apartment in which he murdered the old women. Outside Raskolnikov's apartment there is some grafiti on the wall saying things like, "Rodya, don't do it!" The path today still goes through poorer areas and is pretty freaky.

November 2003 visit to the Hermitage. The pictures aren't great, but they give the basic idea of the scale and grandeur of this most impressive art collection. You could spend a week in the Winter Palace and Hermitage and not see everything.

Palace and Hermitage and not see everything.

This is the palace where the infamous Rasputin was murdered. The interior was absolutely incredible, and unfortunately most of my pictures did not come out well.

November 2003 Trans-Siberian trip from Moscow to Irkutsk. These photos are from the train or from just outside the train.

November 2003 stay in Velinky Novgorod.