Estonia
On the way to Russia we stopped in Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn was a medieval fortress city. The city, or the old city still looks like a fortress and it's very fairy tale like.
When I went to Russia I went with a group of people form my university. We went to St. Petersburg, or "Venice of the North" as it's called. The city is actually built upon several islands and is home to some 5 million people. I wasn't aware that the city was spanned across multiple islands. The largest island is Basil's Island. The main sites on the island are the old lighthouses and the Egyptian sphinxes that guard the canal.
The first day in Russia consisted of seeing all the major sites. You can't go to a major city without acting like a tourist. After visiting the main attractions we went on a limo tour. The limo took us to most of the same sites, but St. Petersburg by night is amazingly different. The city has an entirely different feel.
St. Petersburg has so much history behind it. As a history nerd I was in heaven getting to hear about all the Tsars and revolutions and revivals that helped shape the city and the country.