It was far from being a productive activity as such but it was an exciting time for me to discover the former capital of the Russian empire, meet Soviet students and start learning more about a country that had fascinated me for many years back in my French countryside. What stroke me at that time was the level of decrepitude of these beautiful palaces alongside the canals of the “Venice of the North”, which was sad but compensated by the immense curiosity and overwhelming kindness of the people we met during our stay.
As business trips seldom provide the opportunity to spend time enjoying cultural treasures I was happy to spend a few days of vacation there recently, 20 years exactly after my first visit. St Petersburg is the second largest city of Russia with 4.6 million inhabitants and actually the fourth largest city in Europe. It is also a fantastic cultural centre for Europe. I had chosen the very best time of the year, when the skies never get dark and almost give visitors the feeling that days will never end. The Pulkovo airport is still ridiculously under-dimensioned and traffic jams are worse than ever but a lot has been done to improve the general appearance of the city. This includes fabulous lightening of facades, which is actually a result of a cooperation with my hometown of Lyon in France that has exported its lumière skills to St Petersburg and marvelous renovation work of churches and palaces. There is still lot of work to be done, many courtyards right in the center of the city look exactly as shabby as they were 20 years ago and even some of the Royal palace buildings are in a very poor state. But the improvements are still impressive and the city is truly a destination to recommend to anyone!
 Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (which was built where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated) contains over 7500sqm of mosaics, more than any church in the world. It was badly damaged during the Soviet time and used as a vegetable warehouse. Renovation took 27 years! |
 Right in front of the Winter Palace we took a speed boat to Petrodvorets, the imperial palace with its famous fountains and often referred to as “the Russian Versaille”. In the back you can see the Peter and Paul Fortress where I used to work back in 1990. |
 It is 2.30 at night and the sight of raising illuminated bridges to let big ships pass is just fantastic, to be even more enjoyed drinking some champagne with friends. |
 On our way back after a concert of Vasily Gerello at the Mariinsky Theatre we admired the St Isaac Cathedral, 3rd largest in the world. On the next day we climbed to the observation walkway and got a great view of the city. |
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