My Russian Life: St. Petersburg in early July.... July????

Hi there!

Yes, these are some old pictures!!! I intended to post an update on our beautiful July weather back when it was current. But I lost motivation when I hurt my ankle.

But anyway, they are still worth sharing because they show a different part of the city than I've shared before. So here it goes........

We decided to walk Northeast along the Neva River, to the Smolnyy Cathedral & Convent. It checked the map afterwards, and it was a 5.5 km walk (or roughly 3.5 miles).

Smolnyy Convent was founded in the late 1700's by Tsarina Elizabeth, as a place for Russian noblewomen to be educated.

It took 7 years to build the architect's model, and 85 years to build (with several starts and stops in between). The architect was Italian, and fused both Russian and Baroque styles in the design. But Catherine the Great (reigning from 1762 - 1796) didn't like the design and stopped the funding. It was restarted in 1832 under Tsar Nicolas I, and finished 3 years later. Tsar Nicolas I commissioned a Russian neo-classical architect Vasily Stasov to complete the work.

The Cathedral is stunning - domed, with 4 cupolas each topped with golden orbs. It's used today for exhibitions, musical recitals.

There's always a wedding party somewhere! But the bride and groom appear to be missing......

These cherubs are frightening, don't you think?

The bell tower within the convent

I think this is a bell from an old bell tower.... not sure, and I couldn't find any descriptions nearby.

When I see an old tree in St. Petersburg, I think about everything these trees have seen throughout the years. Because many of the trees were cut down during the 900 day siege of Leningrad during WWII for heat, and many others just didn't survive over the years.

Next, we walked West, along Tverskaya Ulitsa. And saw this unique church. I'm still note sure of it's name. I liked the lace-like eaves all around the building and the black onion domes

Then we hit a park that I never visited before, and wish I had. Tavrichesky Sad, which is apparently also known as Taurida Gardens.

Good story here - the gardens were developed (along with an accompanying palace) in 1783-1789 as a present to Gregoriy Potemkin, who was one of Catherine the Great's favorite lovers.

In a connection to current events - Potemkin is responsible for annexing Crimea to Russia in 1783, which is why he was given the title of Prince of Tauridia (Crimea's ancient name).

The gardens are beautiful! There are ponds, canals, trees & shrubs imported from the UK, soccer fields. My plan was to visit this place several times this summer. That didn't happen, but I'm planning to get back in the fall.

My guy making a face....

And a bride who looks like she's had enough with this photographer!

Continuing our walk westward, we come upon a Chinese padoga (not pictured) and this wall. Hmm.....

And these black swans in the pond behind the Russian Museum

A good sized wedding party at Peter & Paul Cathedral

And another one, although this guy in front refused to get out of the picture!

Children (young - around 10 years old!) in a jet ski race on the Neva River

I'm not sure what this spot is called, but it's fascinating to watch. These guys throw (actually, hurl) a wooden bat though the air to hit the wooden pins at the end. The pins are configured in increasing complex ways.

Here is the city's only mosque, Sobornaya Mosque, which also happens to be one of the largest in all of Europe. It was build from 1910-1914, and is undergoing a renovation now.

Old Trinity Chapel. On this site was the Trinity Cathedral, which was the oldest church in St. Petersburg. It was here that Peter the Great celebrated the end of the war in 1721 Great Northern War and was proclaimed the 1st Emperor of Russia. The cathedral was ordered to be destroyed by the Soviet government in 1933, because it represented the past and religion.

This chapel was built in the 1990's on the original site