Day 4 in St. Petersburg


















 I walked 4 km to visit the Botanical Gardens of Peter the Great, which was disappointingly small (especially after my visit to the impressive Grand Peterhof Palace gardens). This Botanical Garden was founded in 1714 by order of Peter the Great as the Apothecary's Garden. 


I then walked with two new friends to a shopping warehouse Mark (like Costco) and a shopping mall. They are flying back to China so need to get gifts. I only got some chocolate and cookies to eat here. 


I stopped by Eliseyev Emporium a shop opened by an immensely wealthy family of merchants who dominated the market for fine wines in Russia. The ground floor of the building was divided into three retail halls, all featuring sumptuous glass and bronze decoration, while the first floor housed a restaurant and a theatre. It is now a specialty store for meat and fish delicacies, hand-made chocolate, cheese, local homemade bakery, desserts, alcohol and nice gifts.

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