Well, the city in question does have a wintry climate, and it is located in a breathtaking cusp of water that helped it earn the name 'Venice of the North.' It was also a city capital for 200 years, and was moved only after a revolution in 1917. The city in question is Saint Petersburg, Russia.

All the wonderful things you've ever heard about Russia; the large round domes that flare out like 17th Century dresses, the grand palaces, the beautiful snow falling across stark black sky known as 'the white lights' all apply to Saint Petersburg. But this city of almost 142 million people ups the beauty ante by adding over 300 bridges with wide, elegant canals, creating a Metropolitan twist to the typical Russian flare.

How vast in size and importance is this glorious winter wonderland? 'Today Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city, Europe's eighth largest city, a major European cultural center, and the most important Russian port on the Baltic. The city has a total area of 1439 square km, which makes it the second biggest city in terms of area among cities with over a million inhabitants in Europe, after London.'

The city was founded in 1703 when Tsar Peter the Great took control of it from Sweden. He named it after his patron saint, Saint Peter. Fyodor Dostoevsky (did you ever have to read Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamazov in high school? Yeah he's the very famous author who wrote them) christened the city 'the most artificial city in the world,' and it's true that it was modeled after Venice and Amsterdam, originally creating a potential artificial feel, but the city quickly developed into its own unique entity: A city unlike any other in the world, with elements from some of the most romantic and interests locations that have ever existed.

The result is a city not easily forgotten, and one that is ideal for an exciting study abroad experience. It has great entertainment, great universities, and of course, great vodka. All that, and a uniquely beautiful landscape: what more could you ask for?