Day 5: Buildings upon buildings

Day 5: Buildings upon buildings

So, today started off similar to all my other days... a snoring man who I can't understand! I'm starting to wonder whether it's actually my own snoring that's doing it. However, St. Petersburg decided to mix this all up a bit by throwing in shedloads of mosquito bites into the mix. Like, those really annoying ones which just feel itchy all day, including one ON MY FACE. Nightmare. 

Practising my Russian poses

Though the lack of sleep wasn't due to that, oh no. There's a weird phenomena which apparently exists all over Northern Europe called "White night". Disappointingly this doesn't relate to random bouts of midnight snow, but the fact that the Sun doesn't like to set. 

This was genuinely taken at 11.30pm

Think of it as a poor man's Northern Lights. Still, I found it amazing! Even if it did leave me slightly dazed. What's next?! You're probably not wondering. Well it's breakfast, duh.

Milk update: still none. Cool glass though

Today was pretty much a tour of the big buildings of St. Petersburg, of which there are a lot. However, readers, I have a small admission to make to you. I didn't actually do all of these today, some of them are from yesterday. If you feel in anyway let down or angry about this, then I'm really sorry but you should probably get a life.

This looks remarkably familiar... Except it's better because it's not Moscow

There's not a lot that can be said about a Russian Orthodox church seeing as I'm not actually allowed inside, what with me wearing shorts and all that. Although the impending London-esque weather did make me wish I was religious and thus wore those weird long trouser-y things. 

A youth park. What you can't see is the corrugated iron surrounding it. Nice and cheerful!

This is actually pretty interesting: there's an area called New Holland on the edge of the city centre which has skateboard ramps, football pitches, a bar... and a book store. Which oddly was the busiest part. Although it was full of Hipsters so they don't really count as people. It's really important though to have an area for the students to hang out and relax, both for the police and for the youth. So well done St. Petersburg, even if it is really quite small.

That ball spins round! So exciting

Our day was, quite literally, overshadowed by the threat of rain. Russia seems to abide fairly religiously to the concept of "go hard or go home", so when it rains here it really does pour. So Sveti and I thought today would be the ideal time to check out St. Petersburg's second most famous export (after these guys), the Hermitage.

Classic Russia: Scaffolding. Not so classic Russia: horse and carriages.

Unfortunately Russia had better ideas, as world famous and magnificent art is apparently not available on Mondays. So instead we went to check out the Russian State Museum, which again people rave about as if they have any idea about these kind of things:

Hugo: "Oh darling, you just HAVE to check out the Russian State Museum, it's utterly divine"

Victoria: " Isn't it JUST loooovely! Oh I do enjoy a good Monet"

Hugo: "Tell me about it. You know, some people haven't EVEN been to Russia. Eurgh"

Victoria: "It's just so disgusting, how can they even look in the mirror. I wouldn't be able to"

Hugo: "That's because you're too beautiful. Hahahahahahahaha"

Victoria: "Ahahahahahahaha".

By the way that was an homage to Made in Chelsea. Apparently I missed the finale yesterday.

Yeah, it really does rain here quite heavily

So we headed off to the Museum which, I must say, is actually really quite good. It's lavish in all it's interior, as you would expect for the National Museum of Art, however the paintings there are pretty sensational. What's especially good is the transition the museum takes you, as if you're on some form of journey, from the beginning of the 14th century right up until modernism.

Duuudeee I am so stoned

Again, if you get the joke give yourself a hi-five.

My personal highlight was this piece by Kazmir Malevich, who's apparently quite famous for the Black Square. This one's the Red Square (how does he think of these names?!)

That is 100% not a square

To give the full name, it's: "Red Square (Painterly Realism of a Peasant Woman in Two Dimensions)". Asides from making him sound like a pretentious arsehole, it still doesn't address the fact that it is not a Red Square. It's now second of my list of Russian Red Squares, out of two.
Yet I do think there's also a lot you can see in this painting, for some odd reason. Perhaps my brain was fried by hours spent in some Russian Museum, but I stared at this for a solid 10 minutes and contemplated life. 
Not sure that's a good thing though.

TOMORROW: The Metro, Petersland and bridges. How thrilling.

Itchy Mosquito Bite count: 9