Novgorod (informational update

Novgorod is a BEAUTIFUL ancient city, it was the capital of Russia before Moscow was, so all of the buildings date from the 11th century. And the architecture is really distinct, and it just has a slower pace of life than St. Petersburg. We stayed at a really nice hotel with marble staircases and excellent food and service, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time. I think I am going to go back, it is only a 3 hour train ride from Petersburg, and a round-trip ticket costs less than $5.