I went to Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) in 2002 while living in Finland (I'm a US citizen). My then girlfriend, now wife is a German citizen and arranged

I went to Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) in 2002 while living in Finland (I'm a US citizen). My then girlfriend, now wife is a German citizen and arranged the paperwork and I took my documents to the Russian consulate in Helsinki and paid for expedited handling (unease about foreign country and no passport on hand). There wasn't a lot of paperwork at the time. First couple of nights were in Moscow. Train ride to St. Petersburg, check into the hotel. Take a nap. Phone call -- "Um, your papers expired today." Dumbass that I was, didn't look at the visa the consulate had issued only covered the Moscow portion. This was a Sunday. Monday meant a trip to the St. Petersburg airport and talking with a border official. A nice gentleman in a tweed suit. A couple of hundred euros handled the issue (we had 4 days left on our trip). Something I will remember. Putin was president at the time as well.