Courtyard

After our great train ride from Moscow, we took a taxi to the Marriott Courtyard in St. Petersburg.  Yes, that is snow on the ground.  This wide walkway would be very useful during the summer months when you could enjoy an evening walk along the Neva River.

Actually, we are on Vasilevskiy Island.  Peter the Great originally intended Vasilevskiy Island, the largest island in St. Petersburg, to be the administrative center of his "Window to Europe", but constant flooding and the hazards of crossing the Neva caused him to change his mind. 

On the map below, the circle at the top left corner, is where our hotel was located. 

But the island was not forgotten.  It features the city's first museum, a zoological museum, the Old Stock Exchange, the Academy of Arts, Menshikov Palace, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Twelve Colleges, a pair of 15th century BC sphinxes and the Rostral Columns.

The view out our hotel window.

Across the Neva River we can see the Stadium Petrovskiy where the have international soccer games.  In fact, that night, the bright lights were on and the local St. Petersburg team was playing a team from Spain.  The cold doesn't seem to bother them.  We chose to watch them on t.v.  

Another look across the Neva River at Petrogradskaya.  This island was sparsely populated until the construction of the Trinity Bridge in 1903 which connected it to the city center.  The Peter and Paul Fortress is the main tourist highlight.

The Rostral Columns, flanking the former St. Petersburg Stock Exchange.  The imposing Rostral Columns (1810) were designed as lighthouses by Thomas de Thomon.  The enormous figures at the bases of the two columns represent four of the country's biggest rivers -- the Neva, Volga, Dnieper and Volkhov.  The columns are decorated in Roman style with ships' prows jutting out from each side.  Their gas torches are still lit up on special occasions.

visited:  Tuesday, November 24, 2015