may 9 in St. Petersburg was celebrated in a big way. In St. Petersburg there is no compulsory isolation and a mask mode, and the weather cleared – so to the city centre, despite the pandemic coronavirus, the Day of Victory came to many people.
Usually, of course, people are much more – on the quays are crowded with the morning, a parade on Palace and not looking, climbing on lampposts. Nevsky is blocked, on the Champ de Mars at the Eternal flame closely. This year it isn’t. And the streets are shut down, and the parade on the Palace, and the sea portion is compactly housed at the Lieutenant Schmidt and English embankments.
Here is what the mass of people, mostly on the Sunny side of the Neva, the quay of the Lieutenant Shmidta. Here the largest ship of the Baltic fleet “Perekop” near – a graceful sailing ship “Young Baltiets”.
the promenade walk by families, couples. Young people come on bicycles, swartout them on the pavement and sit down to cuddle in the sun with views of “Perekop”. Families with children RAM wheelchairs human stream. Children happily running around in the sun, parents sometimes lose sight of them: “Sasha! Sasha, wait!” yells a tall, blond woman vigorously charuyuschemu on the granite kid.
Some families are under the arms of the elderly – those quietly discussing household stuff. Not a single policeman. I did not notice that someone made a comment to pensioners due to violations of self-isolation. Most people, without masks and, especially, gloves. Someone carries the family portraits of the wartime.
go Back and forth men with red Soviet flags. “Well, we arrived here the ships should be, I still only see two,” explains your father holding onto a wheelchair.
From the ships plays music, war songs. From the waterfront are to the concrete walkway to the bulls, which act as fotostocky – turns, one – two, the camera people run up to them to make a couple of shots with the military courts. Pictures, of course, beautiful work, but I noticed that on the support there is no rim. It is covered with mowed down the iron sheet. To keep social distance with the photographer, who we’re shooting at the same time, I take a few steps to the side, and then scary – still Neva cold, and the concrete. Water all stages busy – I think people aren’t so much celebrated as simply heated.
Weather for St Petersburg is really a pleasant, almost hot, Sunny and not windy. Below the Sphinx, on granite bench at Griffin a couple of bottles of white wine (not even disguising a bottle in a paper bag). She’s wearing a cream – colored summer overcoat unbuttoned, he is tall, elegant boots and light grey pants like a foreigner – but no. He rustles something (probably a snack) in the package, and I remember many stories still Leningrad time��Yong about Bohemia, drinking either at home or on the waterfront.
Closer to the Palace and field of Mars cops show up. Polite as in the summer of 2018 during the world Cup. “Girl, could you, please, to go on the other side?” – tell me in the Central passage.
On the gate to Alexander garden, warning that the walk in the Park, but the ribbon is torn, the flap is open, saunter through the alleys of the citizens, someone settled comfortably on the benches.
At the Palace a few people with red flags also communicate with the police. “But you understand, we are not afraid”. After some time gathering under the walls of Winter dissipates. As far as I noticed no one picked up. From the speakers to hear the song, “Leningrad, Leningrad, are not used we can surrender.”
Not sure how this is consistent with the fact that we have a sort of self-isolation, but in the center of St. Petersburg in celebration worked the point with street food and coffee, cocoa, mulled wine, which usually sell with the machines. These nomadic Barista carefully chosen music. Someone to your taste, someone not bothered, put the “Victory Day”. War songs from a hipster point sounded weird, but the people were tightened. People leaned on the mulled wine. Although the heat on this day in Petersburg was enough. I even got a little overheated and burned.
the Eternal flame at the Champ de Mars was a guy in the reconstructed Cossack uniform and the semi – circle – women, they sang “the Blue kerchief”. Sang out of tune, but cheerfully. A little further under the unblown lilacs perched bard with a guitar, also sang songs – on Nevsky now, probably not.
From the center I go to is almost empty bus, but notice that in the opposite direction the transport is complete. Female conductor of the retirement age decided not to check I travel.
I do Not know whether there will be the end of the day (or at least the holidays) statistics of arrests in the city, but in the first half of the day may 9 all looked like walking decided just not to touch. Moreover, Monday promise cold and the street is not really will want. The question, of course, how safe these festivities in pandemic conditions.
