We started our day with another class to discuss much of the architecture that we are observing as we tour the city of St. Petersburg. Nik, one of our tour guides, spent an entire day preparing notes on each style which we were very useful in our class. We modeled some of these buildings with clay in order to give us more appreciation of how difficult it is to design such complicated structures. This was a challenge for the majority of the class, but the activity successfully accomplished its goal.

After class we started a fairly long journey down Nevsky Prospect to visit two very impressive churches, The Church of Spilled Blood and St. Isaac's Cathedral (see above). St. Isaac's Cathedral was a very large and impressive church. The architectural design and beautiful details make this one of the most impressive buildings that I have ever seen. The original cathedral sunk many years ago, and the new version is no longer in commission and is a very popular place for tourists to visit.

The church of spilled blood is the most spectacular thing that have seen in my first two weeks in St. Petersburg. The style of the building is eclecticism because it utilizes a variety of different architectural styles. The gaudy church has many well decorated and brightly colored domes which appealed to my taste. The inside of the church is just as amazing as the outside. The dominantly blue interior, gold decorations and beautifully painted walls make this church one of the most impressive things that I have ever seen.

We ended our day with a very traditional American meal of cheeseburgers and french fries, a much needed taste of home for many of us on the trip.