theatre of the absurd: Field of Mars

Thursday, 13 July 2017

St. Petersburg, part XXV - Upon the Griboyedov canal, and The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood by night

We went to a random supermarket on the Griboyedov canal street - the idea was to buy picnic supplies and have an open-air canal cruise whilst having munchies and drinking wine. In theory it's a nice idea. As I've made abundantly clear at this point, though, I much prefer my solitude to being stuck on a boat with a bunch of random strangers whom I don't like that much.

I have so much to do, and think about, and my brain is either on overdrive or autopilot. The only things holding me back are money constraints, and a lack of a European passport.

St. Petersburg during the night - tender is the night.

More to come.

St. Petersburg, part XXIV - Nevsky-isms and the Field of Mars/Marsovo Polye/Ма́рсово по́ле

I walked out of the Winter Palace and spent some time in the garden pavilion and out and about, then I went back to the assembly point where we were supposed to meet up for our next destination. We retraced our steps through the ul. Bolshaya Morskaya, back to Nevsky prospekt, and down to the Griboyedov channel embankment, where we were greeted with the lovely Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in all its dusky splendour.

We then proceeded towards the Field of Mars, or Marsovo Polye/Ма́рсово по́ле, which had a rather dynamic and interesting, if extremely bloody history - it started out as a public open green space, then was commissioned as a meadow for a royal princess, then became a military drill ground, then a mass burial site for the dead of the February Revolution, and then a gigantic food garden to provide succour to the besieged and starving citizens during the devastating Leningrad blockade in the second World War.

In the centre of the park there's an Eternal Flame to commemorate and honour the many people who died for St. Petersburg, and by extension Russia's cause.

What was it I was thinking yesterday? It's nice to be part of something bigger than yourself.

To be continued.