prettier sites and a funny story

Fontanka canal. I love the shadows of the grating.


Smolny cathedral. Crazy 18th century architecture.


Weather-wise, this weekend has been a washout. The big event of the weekend was an open-air concert by Elton John in front of the Winter Palace, which I desperately wanted to see. (Incidentally, this is my second St. Pete encounter with Mr. John: in 2001, I was walking down the street, and suddenly a caravan of Mercedes came to a screeching halt and men dressed in black jumped out of them. I thought it was a mafia hit, and like an idiot, I stood there to see what would happen. But then I saw Elton, in one of his classic florescent get ups, get out of the front car: the entourage were merely his bodyguards and paparazzi.) Anyway, half an hour before the concert, I spotted the most threatening clouds I've ever seen (they were puffy and purple) forming, and decided to hightail it out of there. At this exact moment, the entire population of the city began rushing toward the Winter Palace (a strange repeat of 1917!) to find their places--I was the only one heading AWAY from the palace, and have all kinds of bruises to show for it--and the clouds let loose with a ferocious downpour. That was my Friday night; I went home to sleep for the rest of the weekend.