Why is this Babuska blowing in my face?

I stood in the kitchen of my hostel this morning, jetlagged and exhausted with an older Russian women gesticulating wildly and blowing in my face and wondering - what on earth am I doing here?

This is morning one of a 3.5 week trip across Russia, Mongolia and ending in China...so far all I have managed to accomplish is somehow upset this Babuska. After an extended period of charades - which ended with her escorting me back to my room, rummaging through my suitcase and selecting what she deemed to be more appropriate clothing for the weather (the blowing in my face was simulating the wind).

I will say that so far Russia has not disappointed - I have found my churches with amazing domes and walked the streets amoungst the fashion elite, soldiers and hunched over old women. The cyrillic signage, and complete lack of any English, give the place a definate mysterious foreign feel that is somewhat erased by the KFC restaurant on the corner.

One of the more iconic sights has to be the Church on Spilled Blood. I have seen many churches around ths world and this is truly one of the more memorable and impressive. The outside has 6 dinstinctive domes, all with some amount of gold that absoutely sparkle in the sun. The inside is full of millions of a little tiles that create a massive mosaic that covers all walls and the ceiling (course there are many sparkling gold tiles as well). The church is nicknamed for the location where Tsar Alexander the II was assinated - the exact location is commemerated to this day with a wooden gazebo and a pile of rocks...inside the church. Quite bazaar overall.

St. Petersburg also became the 5th canalled city that I have visited in the world - so one must take to the water and tour the place by boat. Our tour boat zigzagged it's way though the 42 islands that make up the city center of St. Petersburg while the guide told us endless facts about the numerous palaces that we passed. Numerous does not begin to describe it - every second building is a Palace dedicated to someone or famous for some death that occured there. My favourite palace was actually belonging to the Strogonoff Family (yes the delicious noodles and beef dish that I actually thought was a creation by the fine folks at Hamberger Helper).

So I am here...in Russia...somewhere I never thought I would make it to...in a hostel...and we see how that whole bit develops as there are 14 beds in my room alone and only 2 washrooms for the entire facility!