When family and friends check in to see how my time in St. Petersburg is, they are always shocked with one tiny piece of information -- THE HEAT. I have never experienced the heat or humidity like I have in my three weeks in Russia!!! Since the sun is out for almost twenty hours a day during the St. Petersburg summer, there is absolutely no way to avoid that constant sunshine. I know it is ironic to be complaining of blistering heat waves in Russia, but it is actually turning out to be one of my biggest struggles here (talk about global warming!)
Although all this sun (with lack of water, ice or some A/C) is proving to be a nuisance, it is not stopping me from enjoying this beautiful city! My second week here in Russia I had the opportunity to check out some of the city's cultural destinations during my free time. I walked through Art Square, along the famous Neva River, and throughout Mixhailovskiy Gardens. The gardens, although large, were full of shade which seems to be a rare find in St. Petersburg!
I visited the Russian State Museum which was massive! I spent almost three hours there and only got through one of the four main halls of the museum. The museum itself reminded me very much of other European art museums I have visited. There were many portraits of old Russian leaders and tsars, along with a lot of religious art such as Christian icons.
Although all this sun (with lack of water, ice or some A/C) is proving to be a nuisance, it is not stopping me from enjoying this beautiful city! My second week here in Russia I had the opportunity to check out some of the city's cultural destinations during my free time. I walked through Art Square, along the famous Neva River, and throughout Mixhailovskiy Gardens. The gardens, although large, were full of shade which seems to be a rare find in St. Petersburg!
I visited the Russian State Museum which was massive! I spent almost three hours there and only got through one of the four main halls of the museum. The museum itself reminded me very much of other European art museums I have visited. There were many portraits of old Russian leaders and tsars, along with a lot of religious art such as Christian icons.
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| Inside the Russian State Museum |
Later in the week I visited the marble palace. The museum had a few very modern and abstract exhibits, along with a traveling exhibition by Russian artist Mixhail Chemiakin. He struggled as an artist in the Soviet Union, and eventually found success in Paris and now in New York. His art portrayed some of the darker times of the city of St. Petersburg. His tragic and somewhat gothic style was somewhat reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie, just to paint a better picture in my description (no pun intended!)
The one plus of these hot days in St. Petersburg is the ice cream! Мореженое is sold everywhere you look. I've definitely been getting my summer ice cream fix, if only they had soft serve!
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