2 Days in St. Petersburg – Day 2: Spit of Vasilyevsky Island

St. Petersburg, Russia – Our second day got off to an early start. It was another beautiful, sunny day. First stop was on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. I wondered why it is called a ‘Spit’. In Russian, the tip of the island is called Strelka, or spit, which literally means “arrow”. The Spit is where the Neva river splits into the Bolshaya Neva, or Great Neva, and the Malaya Neva, or Little Neva. Looking at it that way, you can understand now why it is called a Spit.

Vasilyevsky Island itself is bordered by the Gulf of Finland, the Great Neva, and the Little Neva. A number of historic buildings including museums are located here: the old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange, institutes of higher learning such as the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House), the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, and, of course, the Rostral Columns. This area once served as a port.

From here we had a fantastic view of the Winter Palace and State Hermitage façades, and Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. There weren’t many people out. I think ours was the only tour group here at the time. It felt almost as if we had the whole spit to ourselves.

The most recognizable features on the island are the Rostral Columns (Rostralnaya Kolonna). So just what is a ‘rostral column’? Well, it’s a type of victory column, usually commemorating naval victories. These were meant to honor the victories of the Russian naval fleet. The columns were built in the Roman style. Traditionally, the prows, or rostra, of captured ships are mounted on the column. On the bases of these columns, there are different sculptures; two on each column. Together they represent the Volga, Dnieper, Neva, and Volkhov – four of Russia’s major rivers.

The columns used to serve as lighthouses, marking the confluence of the Great Neva and Little Neva Rivers; one column for each branch of the river. Apparently, there are torches on the top of each, which are lit during major public holidays.

The area where the rivers converge is a good location from which to view the Spit and many of the island’s buildings, especially the Rostral Columns. We will see this first hand later in the day.

I walked around just admiring the sculptures on the bases and the designs on the prows in the columns. Directly behind us was the Stock Exchange Building. Behind us and to the right spanned the famous Palace Bridge (Dvortsoviy Most), which leads to the Palace Square.

Natasha told us that several of the bridges are draw bridges. By day they are closed. By night, they are opened to allow for the passage of larger ships bringing supplies into the city. As you might imagine, once the bridges are drawn, travel to the other side of canals and rivers can be difficult or impossible depending on where you need to go. That fact often gets used as an excuse by those who live in ‘Piter’ when they aren’t able to (or don’t want to) go home.

When I travel, I try to make a connection with the place I am visiting. I do this either through eating the local food, getting in the waters of the area, having a meaningful conversation with a resident, or running along the roads or sidewalks of the city or town. Because it was nearly empty near the river, I pretty much drifted into my own little world. I walked down the ramp to the river’s edge and dipped my hand in the waters of the Bolshaya Neva. For me, it was one way to physically connect to St. Petersburg, to touch Russia.

What did we miss?

Coming back up the ramp from the river, I saw two empty bottles laying in the walkway. I think one was a sparkling wine, the other a Victor Dravigny Brut; both from Russian winemaker Abrau-Durso. I picked them up and positioned them along the wall for this photograph. Meanwhile I’m wondering, “What did we miss? What was celebrated here? A gathering of friends? A bachelor party? A Wedding? Graduation? New job? Drunken revelry?” If these bottles could only talk…

While my wife and I wandered around the area, another couple from our group offered to take our picture with my wife’s camera. With the Winter Palace across the river as a backdrop, we posed for our snapshot and thanked the couple. Turns out that would be the only photo of the two of us together from our time here in Russia. In hindsight, I wish we had taken a few more.

Speaking of the Winter Palace, if its design looks familiar, it should. Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was the architect of the building. He was also the architect of Catherine Palace, which we visited yesterday.