St. Petersburg. Imperial Capital of Russia. City of Czars. Land of White Nights. Oh, how do you describe a city that is magnificent, mesmerizing and eerily haunting?

St. Petersburg was built by Peter the Great in 1703 from marshlands; meant to be Russia’s “Window to Europe.” It has seen more revolution, war and political intrigue in its 300 years or so than other cities witness in a millennium.

Once the seat of the Romanov dynasty and the Imperial Court of the Russian Czars, it changed during the communist revolution of World War I. In 1914 the name was changed to Petrograd. Then, in 1924 the city was renamed Leningrad in honor of the communist revolutionary and founder of the Soviet Union, Vladmir Lenin. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it was renamed, once more, back to St. Petersburg. This vast history is seen everywhere, from the warship that signaled the start of the Bolshevik Revolution to the many reminders of the 900-day Nazi siege of the city that left two million dead.

St. Petersburg is an almost unrivaled treasure trove of art and culture. From the Hermitage, one of the world’s greatest and oldest collections of art, treasure and antiquities to world-class ballets and classical concerts. That’s where Edie and I begin our nonstop 59-hour experience of St. Petersburg. Anything longer would have required a Russian visa.

Security for access to the city was intense. We needed our passports, migration cards, event visas, trip tickets and Russian guide with us at all times. Every time we went off or back onto the ship, we went through passport control. And no matter how often we went before the same agent, there was never recognition and never, ever a smile (more on that later). Oftentimes we waited in the cold, pouring down rain for 150 or so passengers to clear the one agent with the one open lane.

St. Petersburg’s weather is changeable and unpredictable, where all four seasons can occur in one day. The Russians call summer “nine months of expectation and three months of disappointment.” They average 60 days of sun per year. It is the most fabulous city with the most fabulously worse weather, after all they are around the corner from the North Pole.