Frozen Rivers of St. Petersburg

That's how people live in St. Petersburg in winter :)

Photos by Egor Kotov

3 off the beaten track sights in St.Petersburg, Russia

The Siege exposition at the Rumyantsev mansion

The Siege of Leningrad (the former name of St. Petersburg city) is one of the darkest periods in the city history. During 872 days people had been struggling for life in the severest conditions of extreme starvation, winter colds, deaths. On 27 January, 1944 the blockade was raised, and it was the happiest day ever. Take a guide to conduct you though the exbition. You'll find out about the encirclement of the city, creation of the 'Road of Life' over Ladoga lake, everyday people's life in the blockade city.

Address: English embankment 44

Working hours: Thu-Mon 11:00 am - 06:00 pm, Fri 11:00 am - 05:00 pm, closed on Wed 

Ticket cost: 120 Rub per adult, 70 Rub per child. 

D-2 (Narodovolets) Submarine

The real submarine you can visit in St. Petersburg! Narodovolets is one of the first submarines to be built in the USSR. It was put into service in 1931 and took participation in World War II. Tiny kitchen, captain's cabin.. The interior looks the same as it looked in 1940s, and it's hard to imagine how 53 crew members could live and work here altogether. You can visit the museum by yourself or take a guide though the museum excursion is in Russian only, so it's better to prearrange an English-speaking guide with any local tour operator.

Address: Shkipersky protok 10

Working hours: 11:00 am - 06:00 pm, closed on Mon, Tue, last Thu of the month

Ticket cost: 350 Rub per adult, 200 Rub per child. Guide service inside the museum 500 Rub per group. Photo / video 150 Rub per camera

Kirov's apartment museum

The interiors of the partment №20 where Sergey M. Kirov, the first secretary of Leningrad Regional Party Committee, lived, preserve its original appearance. The exposition on the two floors tells you about Leningrad history of 1920-30 - the priod of economical upturn and large-scale building of socialism - and shows how the Bolshevik elite really lived. 

Address: Kamennoostrovsky prospect 26-28

Working hours: 11:00 am - 06:00 pm, closed on Wed

Ticket cost: 100 Rub per adult, 60 Rub per child. Guide service inside the museum 300 Rub per group. 

Maslenitsa on the run

Tomorrow begins one of the most ancient holidays of Russia - Maslenitsa. Its origins trace back to the earliest Slavic heathenistic history. Maslenitsa is a holiday of Winter's send-off and Spring's welcome. This holiday was timed to the Vernal Equinox, which ancient slavs counted as the new year's eve. Maslenitsa lasted for a whole week, and multiple entertaiments took place in its course: fisticuffs, the Snow Town Siege (it symbolized the besieging of the Winter realm), Maslenitsa's scarecrow burning, sleighing, troika (the three-horses-harnessed sleigh) riding, newlyweds shows, and lots of pancakes! Ancient slavs loved pancakes of all kinds no less than their contemporaries: simple butter pancakes, fish pancakes, sweet honey or jam pancakes, delicacy caviar pancakes - tons of these were eaten during this happy week. Some believe that the pancake itself represented the sun - the main symbol and weapon of Spring in its eternal confrontation with Winter; but that seems to be a false hypothesis: in the Slavic culture pancakes were the commemorative course. It seems that people commemorated their ancestors during the Maslenitsa week.

After the Baptism of Russia in the 998 A.D. the Church tried to extinguish Maslenitsa, but to little success: people loved this holiday of Spring beyond measure, and the heathenistic holiday longed through centuries, and is still celebrated nowdays. Every day of Maslenitsa has its own name and rites:

Monday - The Meeting

On Monday morning father-in-law and mother-in-law sent their daughter-in-law to spend the day with her parents, and visited their family in the evening. The snow hills, snow town, marketplaces, and other places for festivals and merrymaking were finished by this day. The pancake cooking started: the first pancake was contributed to the poor for commemorating of the lost ones. The Maslenitsa's scarecrow was constructed of straw, thatch, old clothings, and other scraps. It was mounted on the pike and carried in a sleigh throughout the town streets.

Tuesday - The Flirt

Bride shows took place on that day. Single men were invited to watch the brides, to sleigh the snow hills, and, of course, to feast upon pancakes.

Wednesday - The Delights

On that day the son-in-law visited his mother-in-law to taste her pancakes. Other guests were invited as well.

Thursday - The Revelry

The main Maslenitsa's part started on that day: the everyday work stopped, and the merriments reached maximum. Townsfolk gave theirselves to multiple entertainments: horse riding, fisticuffs, different competitions (that were finished in wild parties). The main thursday's action was the Snow Town Siege. The purport of The Revelry was splashing out all negative energy accumulated during the winter. In the evening people sang merry songs and jumped over the fires. Needless to say, all of this was accompanied by pancake feasting.

Friday - Mother-in-law's Evening

Mother-in-law visited her son-in-law with her relatives and friends in a return visit. Wife cooked pancakes that evening. Son-in-law had to show his loyalty to his mother-in-law that evening.

Saturday - Sister-in-law's Klatch

On that day all young family women got together to chat and communicate and eat pancakes.

Sunday - The Send-Off (The Forgiven Sunday)

The Send-Off is the culmination of the Maslenitsa week. People ask each other's forgiveness for different troubles and offences of the past year; they visited graveyards to commemorate the lost ones. People visited Banya (Russian sauna) on that day. In the holiday's end Maslenitsa's scarecrow was solemnly burned and its ashes were scattered over the fields (that was believed to fertilize the land).

Maslenitsa had always been a holiday whose main pupose is to strenghten family bonds, to splash out negative energy, and to celebrate Spring's coming; so it is nowdays - many Russian people celebrate every day of Maslenitsa week, and in the weekend main activities like Snow Town Siege and Maslenitsa's scarecrow burning take place every year. If you are lucky to be in Russia on Maslenitsa, do not hesitate to visit the celebrations!

Wonderful St. Petersburg by Egor Kotov

View from the Peter and Paul Fortress

Fontanka River

St. Petersburg in the evening

Happy Women's Day!

Ligovsky avenue history

Ligovsky avenue history is very interesting. Firstly, there was a high road to to Novgorod and Moscow, used by the people from nearby villages when the city didn't even exist. The road ran through the marshland and was very inconvenient. So later, when St. Petersburg was found, the city government decided to dig a canal on that place to transfer the waters from the Ligi river to the Summer Garden fountains. In 1725 the canal of 23 kilometers was finished. Later the canal was used as potable water storage. But after the flood in 1777 the banks of the canal crumbled, the water dot turbid and wasn't fit for drinking anymore. In addition, the fountains were wrecked, and so later the canal too. Nowadays, Ligovsky avenue is a majour street in St. Petersburg, running from Moskovsky avenue to the Vosstaniya square where Moscovsky train station is located.

Our new office address is Ligovsky 56, office 609

Petersburg Voyage Ltd

http://www.petersburg-voyage.com

Recently opened "Ukrop" vegetarian cafe in St. Petersburg

Several years ago to be a vegetarian was outrageous and many people have never heard about it. They looked at vegetarians like they're aliens or just mad. Popular meat dumplings, meat cutlets, Russian Borsch.. That is the what Russians are used to eat :) But nowadays vegeterianism is becoming more popular in St. Petersburg. The city is getting more open-minded and new vegetarian cafes is opened. That is good!
One of the nicest places I've recently been to is "Ukrop" ('The Dill") cafe. Nice cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, rich variety of delicious vegetarian, vegan and and raw meals  - that is what you'll find in Ukrop! And desserts.., they're perfect! If you're vegetarian or not, I recommend you to visit and to try :)

Address: St. Petersburg, Marata str. 23, "Ukrop" cafe

The Russian Orthodox Epiphany tradition

Mass ice swimming takes place on the Russian Orthodox Epiphany on Jan 19 every year. This tradition has been practiced in Russia for centuries. The Epiphany is considered to be of the greatest feasts for Russian Orthodox beleivers, and every year they plunge three times into ice-cold water in honour of Jesus's baptism in the river Jordan.

Nominated for Russian book of records, this year swimming is going to be the most considerable of all the preceding in St. Petersburg.  The swimming starts at 15:00 in front of the Peter and Paul Fortress.