In 2007, when I visited St Petersburg with my parents as part of a vacation to the Baltic region of Europe, I remember being struck by the city’s elaborate architecture and world-class art. My family and I spent nearly a week walking up and down St Petersburg’s bustling streets and cruising the city’s canals–taking in the sights of glimmering gold-domed churches, world-class museums and grandiose palaces Yet, after a visit to Russia’s cultural capital, I immediately realized that I had barely scratched the surface of what the world’s largest country had to offer. I longed to delve deeper into…