Saint Petersburg, Russia

When the Russian Navy Stations in Saint Petersburg


Parade and Pomp
Officer leads military parade of Navy Day opening ceremony in front of Senatskaya Square.
Maruja Fashion
Visitor on board the liner "Dimitrograd" dressed in obvious naval-inspired clothing.
Afloat the Neva
Naval forces officers in formation on a submarine submerged in the Neva River, salute the crowd on the bank.
riverside love
Couple kissing in a moment of passion next to the ship "Dimitrograd", full of curious visitors.
an elegant parade
Young sailors march during a short military parade opening the Russian Navy Day.
To attack !
Children in ecstasy aboard the cruise ship "Dimitrograd", one of the boats exposed to the population of Saint Petersburg, on Navy Day.
Naval Courtesy
Sailor on the liner "Dimitrograd" helps a visitor to leave the vessel.
Russian Patience
The public waits in line to board one of the present and visitable submarines on the Neva River.
striped fun
Young sailors already semi-intoxicated live in the garden of Admiralteyski, the naval school in St. Petersburg.
Deck View II
Two young officers watch visitors climb aboard their liner "Dimitograd", while two friends chat outside the vessel.
freshwater sailors
Two young sailors celebrate Navy Day, drenched and drunk, inside a fountain in the Admiralteyski garden.
"Cuauhtemoc"
The Mexican three-masted barge "Cuauhtemoc" towers above the bank of the Neva River. This vessel also allowed visitors on board.
Power and Mediation
Russian navy senior officials and policy makers answer questions from journalists after the navy day's opening ceremony.
Deck View
Two young officers watch visitors climb aboard their liner "Dimitograd"
1 (311)
Sailor accompanies the movement of visitors from a corner of the bow of the liner "Dimitograd"
an anchored fleet
St. Petersburg residents and visitors stroll around Russian warships moored on the bank of the Neva River.
Parenthood Listed
Father and son in sailor costume in the garden of Admiraltevskaya, near the bank of the Neva River.
In writing
Sailors excitedly celebrating Navy Day display a message by a fountain in Admiraltevskaya's garden.
Russia dedicates the last Sunday of July to its naval forces. On that day, a crowd visits large boats moored on the Neva River as alcohol-drenched sailors seize the city.

It's Sunday. One hundred and eighty kilometers and four hours after leaving Novgorod, we re-enter St. Petersburg.

Around 9 am, the city reveals itself to be much quieter than we had known it before. We left our luggage in a pre-rented room and walked out like the undead to the subway and the majestic banks of great Peter.

When we got up from Admiralteyskaya station, we finally noticed that the day was clear, with a clear sky and a heat that, despite being humid, also seemed torrid to us.

We walk through Aleksandrowski Gardens to Senatskaya Square. There, we are faced with a separate reality.

Deck View

Two young officers watch visitors climb aboard their liner “Dimitograd”

Navy Day, Boat-filled St. Petersburg Canals

Dozens of afloat boats and submarines appeared between the Blagoveshchenski, Dvortsovi and Troitsky bridges, in the middle of the Neva or against the walls that delimit it. A colorful crowd filled the high banks also distributed in endless rows stretched along the boats.

Russian Patience

The public waits in line to board one of the present and visitable submarines on the Neva River.

At the same time, the opening ceremony of the anniversary began, right in front of the haughty statue of the Bronze Knight that pays homage to Peter the Great, the founder of the city and the Russian navy.

Peter Alekseyvich Romanov – the original name of the great tsar – is credited with the maxim that "A Regent who has only one army has one hand, but he who has a navy has two."

Centuries after his death, none of the officers present at the ceremony or the sailors in training on the submarine “St. Petersburg” emerged in the middle of the Neva would dare to disagree.

Afloat the Neva

Naval forces officers in formation on a submarine submerged in the Neva river, salute the crowd on the bank

We approached the stop but could barely see through the early morning attendance.

Thus, even without an invitation to the event or previous candidacy, we provided ourselves with professional cards, we put around our necks the cameras with the largest lenses we were carrying and we insinuated ourselves into the internal space reserved for influential politicians, orthodox priests, high ranks and journalists.

Parade and Pomp

Officer leads military parade of Navy Day opening ceremony in front of Senatskaya Square.

The assistant who works with us finds the cards written only in Roman alphabet strange, instead of the almost totalist Cyrillic one, but after identifying “Press” in red, ends up giving us passage.

VIP Access to the Political Ceremony that Makes the Day Official

It is already from the private interior of Senatskaya that we follow the imposing parades, the speeches, the slogans for TV. Neither Putin nor Medvedev are present.

Instead, other dignitaries lower in the hierarchy lead the protocol. Later, the advisor approached us again in Russian. Not exactly through the words, we realize that it calls us to an admiral's interview to the media.

Power and Mediation

Russian navy senior officials and policy makers answer questions from journalists after the navy day's opening ceremony.

We limited ourselves to photographing the siege established by our colleagues in the house.

Judicious Ascents aboard the Most Imposing Boats

After the ceremony, the crowd disbands. A Mexican three-masted barge named “Cuauhtemo” attracts endless people. There is Latin music on board. Both the crew and an extra of the Aztec king of Tenochtitlan display a seductive exoticism and welcome.

We crossed the Blagoveshchenski Bridge to the bank there. There, too, lines formed alongside other boats, blessed by the haughty presence of the Andrejewski Cathedral.

Naval Courtesy

Sailor on the liner “Dimitrograd” helps a visitor to leave the vessel.

We climbed aboard the war cruiser "Dimitrograd".

On deck, we follow the tropes of dozens of children in ecstasy with the cannon batteries, but also of aspiring Russian models who make incessant little mouths and throw their heads back determined as the cameras in the hands of their friends capture their sensuality.

Deck View II

Two young officers watch visitors climb aboard their liner “Dimitograd”, while two friends chat outside the vessel.

We are over 60º North. The summer's day shows no sign of having an end. We return to the Admiralteyski gardens hoping to see another unofficial attraction of the celebration.

Socializing with the Drunken Sailors of the Admiralteyski of St. Petersburg

Arrived in front of the huge naval college, we rested on a bench that was still vacant, next to others occupied by groups of young sailors, semi-uniformed in striped tank tops. In full drunken conviviality around a guitar.

striped fun

Young sailors already semi-intoxicated live in the garden of Admiralteyski, the naval school in St. Petersburg.

Once or twice we approached cameras at the ready and immediately got their attention, poses and funny faces. We don't insist too much so that we don't bother them at the first contact. We sat down again. We notice that more photographers are watching them from other positions.

Meanwhile, we are joined by a group of television reporters who seem uneasy to us. “Where are you from? Has anything happened? We think nothing will happen.

The worst has already happened back there in Palace Square, you know? An activist unfurled a gay flag among the military. He was beaten by these animals. Be careful with them, they are very, very dangerous.”

In writing

Sailors excitedly celebrating Navy Day display a message by a fountain in Admiraltevskaya's garden.

We have heard confessions of this kind before. Alexey Kravchenko, our friend and city ​​host, assured us that for many Russians, military days like this and August 2nd (dedicated to the Airborne Forces) were like family days. And to avoid going out into the street as much as possible.

“You know…when I was 14 I was kicked pretty seriously by one of them. Normally, they cause gratuitous and racist violence all over the country. For me, the ideal is to stay at home.”

Even intimidated, we don't give up. By this time, some sailors are drunk. The police who had controlled them during the early afternoon had already left. The sailors enjoy the benefit. Make up to the fountain in front. First one, stumbling and staggering, but delighted by the anesthetization of alcohol and by leading the effort.

freshwater sailors

Two young sailors celebrate Navy Day, drenched and drunk, inside a fountain in the Admiralteyski garden.

The pioneer claims a Russian flag. When they pass it, it goes under the fountains. Shake it from side to side with unexpected vigor. So, more sailors join the comrade. Grouped and embraced in an ethylic exhibitionism they shout the slogan "slobasloba, sloba!” (Glory, Glory, Glory).

The photographers present register the moment. Simple people arrive at the fountain's edge, determined to photograph themselves as part of this already emblematic scene of the city.

When they come out of the water, some sailors overcome their shyness and start talking to us with understandable breaths of brandy and vodka. One is a photography fan. Another had been in Lisbon. I admired the city a lot.

an elegant parade

Young sailors march during a short military parade opening the Russian Navy Day.

Another is a Zenit fanatic. He makes a point of mentioning the various Portuguese players or those coming from Portugal who lined up for the team. Almost everyone drags the scant English words that they intersperse with involuntary bits in Russian.

Contrary to what we were warned, they are affable. Even syrupy. One of them, in whom alcohol had aroused some aggressiveness, disturbs the cordial relationship we had maintained until then. "Where are you from? I hope they're not USAs! Are they English?”

We estimated that by telling the truth, we would be free from any hassles and, as such, we responded with care in pronouncing the name of our homeland in Russian version: “Partugalia, Partugalia” we replied to calm him down.

an anchored fleet

St. Petersburg residents and visitors stroll around Russian warships moored on the bank of the Neva River.

Even so, the naval ruffian doesn't give up. "BORN? Are you part of NATO? We don't want NATOs around here!” And thou? you are skinhead?” Finally, the friendliest colleagues call him to reason and save us from questions that could prove more perilous.

Sasha, a photographer of Russian origin but based in New York, watched what had happened. He ends up confessing to us: “ah... you are Portuguese. I was already predicting that they would be Latino. It's amazing how I, even with a bad accent, I speak Russian, I can't have, from them, the trust that you've already earned. On top of that, you don't speak Russian and they speak little or nothing in English. I think it's your Latin approach. You talk to them always smiling… neither I nor most of us, with Slavic blood, are very good at relating like that. Russians are not used to being treated well.”

riverside love

Couple kissing in a moment of passion next to the “Dimitrograd” liner, full of curious visitors.

Rostov Veliky, Russia

Under the Domes of the Russian Soul

It is one of the oldest and most important medieval cities, founded during the still pagan origins of the nation of the tsars. At the end of the XNUMXth century, incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Moscow, it became an imposing center of orthodox religiosity. Today, only the splendor of kremlin Muscovite trumps the citadel of tranquil and picturesque Rostov Veliky.
Jaisalmer, India

There's a Feast in the Thar Desert

As soon as the short winter breaks, Jaisalmer indulges in parades, camel races, and turban and mustache competitions. Its walls, alleys and surrounding dunes take on more color than ever. During the three days of the event, natives and outsiders watch, dazzled, as the vast and inhospitable Thar finally shines through.
Novgorod, Russia

Mother Russia's Viking Grandmother

For most of the past century, the USSR authorities have omitted part of the origins of the Russian people. But history leaves no room for doubt. Long before the rise and supremacy of the tsars and the soviets, the first Scandinavian settlers founded their mighty nation in Novgorod.
Bacolod, Philippines

A Festival to Laugh at Tragedy

Around 1980, the value of sugar, an important source of wealth on the Philippine island of Negros, plummeted and the ferry “Don Juan” that served it sank and took the lives of more than 176 passengers, most of them from Negrès. The local community decided to react to the depression generated by these dramas. That's how MassKara arose, a party committed to recovering the smiles of the population.
Upplistsikhe e Gori, Georgia

From the Cradle of Georgia to Stalin's Childhood

In the discovery of the Caucasus, we explore Uplistsikhe, a troglodyte city that preceded Georgia. And just 10km away, in Gori, we find the place of the troubled childhood of Joseb Jughashvili, who would become the most famous and tyrant of Soviet leaders.
Suzdal, Russia

The Suzdal Cucumber Celebrations

With summer and warm weather, the Russian city of Suzdal relaxes from its ancient religious orthodoxy. The old town is also famous for having the best cucumbers in the nation. When July arrives, it turns the newly harvested into a real festival.
Suzdal, Russia

Thousand Years of Old Fashioned Russia

It was a lavish capital when Moscow was just a rural hamlet. Along the way, it lost political relevance but accumulated the largest concentration of churches, monasteries and convents in the country of the tsars. Today, beneath its countless domes, Suzdal is as orthodox as it is monumental.
Solovetsky Islands, Russia

The Mother Island of the Gulag Archipelago

It hosted one of Russia's most powerful Orthodox religious domains, but Lenin and Stalin turned it into a gulag. With the fall of the USSR, Solovestky regains his peace and spirituality.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

On the track of "Crime and Punishment"

In St. Petersburg, we cannot resist investigating the inspiration for the base characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's most famous novel: his own pities and the miseries of certain fellow citizens.
Saint Petersburg e Mikhaylovkoe, Russia

The Writer Who Succumbed to His Own Plot

Alexander Pushkin is hailed by many as the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. But Pushkin also dictated an almost tragicomic epilogue to his prolific life.
Suzdal, Russia

Centuries of Devotion to a Devoted Monk

Euthymius was a fourteenth-century Russian ascetic who gave himself body and soul to God. His faith inspired Suzdal's religiosity. The city's believers worship him as the saint he has become.
Bolshoi Zayatsky, Russia

Mysterious Russian Babylons

A set of prehistoric spiral labyrinths made of stones decorate Bolshoi Zayatsky Island, part of the Solovetsky archipelago. Devoid of explanations as to when they were erected or what it meant, the inhabitants of these northern reaches of Europe call them vavilons.
Bolshoi Solovetsky, Russia

A Celebration of the Russian Autumn of Life

At the edge of the Arctic Ocean, in mid-September, the boreal foliage glows golden. Welcomed by generous cicerones, we praise the new human times of Bolshoi Solovetsky, famous for having hosted the first of the Soviet Gulag prison camps.
Moscow, Russia

The Supreme Fortress of Russia

There were many kremlins built, over time, in the vastness of the country of the tsars. None stands out, as monumental as that of the capital Moscow, a historic center of despotism and arrogance that, from Ivan the Terrible to Vladimir Putin, for better or worse, dictated Russia's destiny.
Kronstadt, Russia

The Autumn of the Russian Island-City of All Crossroads

Founded by Peter the Great, it became the port and naval base protecting Saint Petersburg and northern Greater Russia. In March 1921, it rebelled against the Bolsheviks it had supported during the October Revolution. In this October we're going through, Kronstadt is once again covered by the same exuberant yellow of uncertainty.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Serengeti, Great Savannah Migration, Tanzania, wildebeest on river
safari
Serengeti NP, Tanzania

The Great Migration of the Endless Savanna

In these prairies that the Masai people say syringet (run forever), millions of wildebeests and other herbivores chase the rains. For predators, their arrival and that of the monsoon are the same salvation.
Muktinath to Kagbeni, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Kagbeni
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit 14th - Muktinath to Kagbeni, Nepal

On the Other Side of the Pass

After the demanding crossing of Thorong La, we recover in the cozy village of Muktinath. The next morning we proceed back to lower altitudes. On the way to the ancient kingdom of Upper Mustang and the village of Kagbeni that serves as its gateway.
hacienda mucuyche, Yucatan, Mexico, canal
Architecture & Design
Yucatan, Mexico

Among Haciendas and Cenotes, through the History of Yucatan

Around the capital Merida, for every old hacienda henequenera there's at least one cenote. As happened with the semi-recovered Hacienda Mucuyché, together, they form some of the most sublime places in southeastern Mexico.

Totems, Botko Village, Malekula, Vanuatu
Aventura
Malekula, Vanuatu

Meat and Bone Cannibalism

Until the early XNUMXth century, man-eaters still feasted on the Vanuatu archipelago. In the village of Botko we find out why European settlers were so afraid of the island of Malekula.
good buddhist advice
Ceremonies and Festivities
Chiang Mai, Thailand

300 Wats of Spiritual and Cultural Energy

Thais call every Buddhist temple wat and their northern capital has them in obvious abundance. Delivered to successive events held between shrines, Chiang Mai is never quite disconnected.
Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece
Cities
Iraklio, CreteGreece

From Minos to Minus

We arrived in Iraklio and, as far as big cities are concerned, Greece stops there. As for history and mythology, the capital of Crete branches without end. Minos, son of Europa, had both his palace and the labyrinth in which the minotaur closed. The Arabs, the Byzantines, the Venetians and the Ottomans passed through Iraklio. The Greeks who inhabit it fail to appreciate it.
Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo, Japan
Lunch time
Tokyo, Japan

The Fish Market That Lost its Freshness

In a year, each Japanese eats more than their weight in fish and shellfish. Since 1935, a considerable part was processed and sold in the largest fish market in the world. Tsukiji was terminated in October 2018, and replaced by Toyosu's.
Nahuatl celebration
Culture

Mexico City, Mexico

mexican soul

With more than 20 million inhabitants in a vast metropolitan area, this megalopolis marks, from its heart of zócalo, the spiritual pulse of a nation that has always been vulnerable and dramatic.

4th of July Fireworks-Seward, Alaska, United States
Sport
Seward, Alaska

The Longest 4th of July

The independence of the United States is celebrated, in Seward, Alaska, in a modest way. Even so, the 4th of July and its celebration seem to have no end.
Las Cuevas, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina
Traveling
Mendoza, Argentina

From One Side to the Other of the Andes

Departing from Mendoza city, the N7 route gets lost in vineyards, rises to the foot of Mount Aconcagua and crosses the Andes to Chile. Few cross-border stretches reveal the magnificence of this forced ascent
Ethnic
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Naghol: Bungee Jumping without Modern Touches

At Pentecost, in their late teens, young people launch themselves from a tower with only lianas tied to their ankles. Bungee cords and harnesses are inappropriate fussiness from initiation to adulthood.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio

days like so many others

Hué, Communist City, Imperial Vietnam, Imperial Communism
History
Hue, Vietnam

The Red Heritage of Imperial Vietnam

It suffered the worst hardships of the Vietnam War and was despised by the Vietcong due to the feudal past. The national-communist flags fly over its walls but Hué regains its splendor.
Montserrat island, Plymouth, Soufriere volcano, path to volcano
Islands
Montserrat, Lesser Antilles

The Island of the Volcano that Refuses to Sleep

In the Antilles, volcanoes called Soufrière abound. That of Montserrat, re-awakened in 1995, and remains one of the most active. Upon discovery of the island, we re-enter the exclusion area and explore the areas still untouched by the eruptions.  
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Winter White
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
José Saramago in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, Glorieta de Saramago
Literature
Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

José Saramago's Basalt Raft

In 1993, frustrated by the Portuguese government's disregard for his work “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ”, Saramago moved with his wife Pilar del Río to Lanzarote. Back on this somewhat extraterrestrial Canary Island, we visited his home. And the refuge from the portuguese censorship that haunted the writer.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Nature
Morondava, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar

The Malagasy Way to Dazzle

Out of nowhere, a colony of baobab trees 30 meters high and 800 years old flanks a section of the clayey and ocher road parallel to the Mozambique Channel and the fishing coast of Morondava. The natives consider these colossal trees the mothers of their forest. Travelers venerate them as a kind of initiatory corridor.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Totem, Sitka, Alaska Travel Once Russia
Natural Parks
sitka, Alaska

Sitka: Journey through a once Russian Alaska

In 1867, Tsar Alexander II had to sell Russian Alaska to the United States. In the small town of Sitka, we find the Russian legacy but also the Tlingit natives who fought them.
Bay Watch cabin, Miami beach, beach, Florida, United States,
UNESCO World Heritage
Miami beach, USA

The Beach of All Vanities

Few coasts concentrate, at the same time, so much heat and displays of fame, wealth and glory. Located in the extreme southeast of the USA, Miami Beach is accessible via six bridges that connect it to the rest of Florida. It is meager for the number of souls who desire it.
Correspondence verification
Characters
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Montezuma and Malpais, Costa Rica's best beaches, Catarata
Beaches
Montezuma, Costa Rica

Back to the Tropical Arms of Montezuma

It's been 18 years since we were dazzled by this one of Costa Rica's blessed coastlines. Just two months ago, we found him again. As cozy as we had known it.
Police intervention, ultra-Orthodox Jews, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel
Religion
Jaffa, Israel

Unorthodox protests

A building in Jaffa, Tel Aviv, threatened to desecrate what ultra-Orthodox Jews thought were remnants of their ancestors. And even the revelation that they were pagan tombs did not deter them from the contestation.
Flam Railway composition below a waterfall, Norway.
On Rails
Nesbyen to Flam, Norway

Flam Railway: Sublime Norway from the First to the Last Station

By road and aboard the Flam Railway, on one of the steepest railway routes in the world, we reach Flam and the entrance to the Sognefjord, the largest, deepest and most revered of the Scandinavian fjords. From the starting point to the last station, this monumental Norway that we have unveiled is confirmed.
city ​​hall, capital, oslo, norway
Society
Oslo, Norway

An Overcapitalized Capital

One of Norway's problems has been deciding how to invest the billions of euros from its record-breaking sovereign wealth fund. But even immoderate resources don't save Oslo from its social inconsistencies.
Busy intersection of Tokyo, Japan
Daily life
Tokyo, Japan

The Endless Night of the Rising Sun Capital

Say that Tokyo do not sleep is an understatement. In one of the largest and most sophisticated cities on the face of the Earth, twilight marks only the renewal of the frenetic daily life. And there are millions of souls that either find no place in the sun, or make more sense in the “dark” and obscure turns that follow.
Flock of flamingos, Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic
Wildlife
Oviedo Lagoon, Dominican Republic

The Dead Sea (nothing) of the Dominican Republic

The hypersalinity of the Laguna de Oviedo fluctuates depending on evaporation and water supplied by rain and the flow coming from the neighboring mountain range of Bahoruco. The natives of the region estimate that, as a rule, it has three times the level of sea salt. There, we discover prolific colonies of flamingos and iguanas, among many other species that make up one of the most exuberant ecosystems on the island of Hispaniola.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.