Internet Woes

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post. My dear friend must have finally figured out I was stealing internet and he just cut me right off. Consequently, I really have no way to use the internet unless I take my computer with me everywhere and find a McDonalds! I am trying to figure out the problem, so in the mean time I’ll post when I can. This weekend was jam packed with the Hermitage again and on Tuesday we made a trip to the part of town where Crime and Punishment was set in.  We even went inside the little church the author supposedly went to for inspiration and thinking. (These fun facts are always an iffy on the “fact” side of things. But, it makes it seem way more interesting when they put it like that.)

Here are some pictures I have been taking around the city. I hope you can get a better idea of some of things I get to see. The pictures never do anything any justice, but at least they are a shadow of the coolness of this city that I can share with you! I hope everyone is doing well.

Nevsky Prospect:

Each of the metro stations has a different design. The Nevsky Prospect (the 5th Ave. of St. Petersburg) metro station is a lot prettier than some of the others.

We went inside the Grand and it was absolutely beautiful.

Lady of Kazan: (A Russian Orthodox Cathedral dedicated to one of the most important and worshipped icons in the religion. Also on Nevsky Prospect.)

Nicole, Me, and Allison in front of the cathedral.

Singer Building: (This was built for the Singer Sewing Machine Company and now it is a really awesome, beautiful bookstore. It is one of my favorite buildings in the city.)

Church on Spilled Blood: ( I can't get enough of this place!)

Even the gates surrounding the church are so detailed and ornate like the church itself.

Park Behind the Church:

Pigeons are seriously respected here because they kept the people alive when they were starving during war times. This is unfortunate because I have a bad history with pigeons which includes a walk through Central Park, something falling on my head, and me smelling horrible for the rest of the day. The pigeons here have been much kinder...so far.

The 'Hood where Crime and Punishment was set:

There are lots of scary alleyways in the city closed by these really beautiful iron gates. They aren't actually scary, they only look it. Most of them just lead to apartment complexes.

I can't get over how much detail is on every single building here. Buildings that would be historical landmarks in America house little stores or bars or nothing at all.

The Little Church Dostoevsky Visited for Inspiration: