旅人る - Tabibito

 

Saint Petersburg

 

See also next report (November 2022).

Fed up with Nevsky avenue, Hermitage museum and St. Isaak cathedral? There is more to see in St. Petersburg. One might stroll through the neighborhoods around Dnepropetrovskaya street. Peculiar church built in the early 1900s.

 

Quiet boulevards.

 

And a "Z" hotel. Opened in October 2021, its owners definitely knew something.

 

Warmonger graffiti.

 

McDonald's said that it was closed "temporarily".

 

Parks are being closed to "dry" in spring. Never seen anything like this outside of St. Petersburg.

 

You can call the number on the orange sign to buy gasoline directly from the refinery. Most likely a scam.

 

I used to prefer the hotel chains, but some of them (including Finnish Sokos) decided to halt the operation in Russia and others could do this at any moment. Non-chain hotels can be good too. Ridge hotel has a fantastic view for the trainspotters: one may see the Sapsan (Siemens Velaro high-speed express), overnight trains, electrichka EMU etc.

 

Another unusual place: 1st Northern fort of Kronstadt. Until the middle of the 20th century, the latter was a large fortress with dozens of sea forts guarding St. Petersburg-Leningrad. One of this forts is reachable by a broken road on a damb. Access to the fort is formally prohibited, but no one really care if you will trespass. Even if you are a foreigner.

 

A great place for those who love 19th century fortifications and abandoned places.

 

Nice sea view as well.

 

The fort also offers a good view of the Saint Petersburg Dam, which protects the city from floods.

 

Finally, the breakwater at the fort is the only place in the city where you can play Pokémon Go and Ingress, blocked in Russia since March 2022. Totally worth it.

 

Where to eat (as of May 2022): La Prosciutteria and Pasta Fresca are the best italian-style dining near Vosstaniya street.

Where to stay: Ridge hotel.

What to buy: some books from Podpisniye Izdaniya bookstore.

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