Glimpse - Your Stories from Abroad

Sometimes called the “Candy Cane Church,” Chesme Church is, without a doubt, one of the most unusual examples of sacred architecture in Russia. Great damage was done to it during the Communist period, but recent restoration has returned the building to its original splendor.

From the inside of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, one is afforded a view of the wide expanse of Red Square.

A host of impersonators always surround historical sites such as Red Square (accompanied by birds or monkeys, wholly unconnected to their characters). Preserved monuments to Vladimir Lenin and the allowance of his look-a-likes reveal modern perceptions of him as an unoffensive, even respected, figure in Russian history.

At a fair in central Moscow, a vendor sells old posters depicting images and slogans of Communist propaganda.

Fyodor Dostoevsky watches over a young man waiting on Tverskaya Street, the main drag in Moscow.

These brightly colored wooden nesting dolls, called matryoshka dolls are quintessential symbols of Russian folk art. Sadly, because of the economic crisis, the number of matryoshka craftsmen has decreased significantly. In an effort to save this rich tradition and keep the industry afloat, the Russian government plans to buy $28.4 million in folk crafts, including matryoshka dolls, in 2010.

Crowds gather to see the grand finale of Maslenitsa. This famous “end of winter” festival, marking the beginning of Lent, always concludes with burning an effigy of Mother Winter. However, she is far from dead in early March, when the festival is celebrated.

At any dinner party, it is customary to make multiple toasts of vodka or cognac before the meal. To maintain some level of sobriety, one must nibble on small snacks in between toasts. Here, a few friends and I were given black bread with hard-boiled egg, onion, and herring, and lard. 

In the butcher section of St. Petersburg’s Sennaya Ploschad market, a strange and shocking face greets customers at the cash register.

When walking down the street, grocery shopping, museum visiting, or metro riding, babushkas, or “grandmothers,” are seemingly omnipresent. Grandfathers are fewer and farther between. It is estimated that nearly 20 million Russian men died during World War II, and a high death rate continues to claim many older men. Combined with low pensions for the elderly, babushkas are forced to work and take care of themselves, far past what Westerners deem a "normal" retirement age.

Two little pupils try their best to listen attentively at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Night lights illuminate the Smolny Convent built by Empress Elizabeth I. The buildings are now a part of St. Petersburg State University.

There is never a dull moment on Nevsky Prospekt, the bustling thoroughfare of St. Petersburg. These ladies hurriedly make their way to the metro at rush hour.

Victory Day is one of the most celebrated Russian holidays and one of the most emotional for many Russians, especially for those who survived the Siege of Leningrad. Here, military officers observe the Veterans Parade on Nevsky Prospekt with a grateful gaze.

In Palace Square, people from all over the city patiently endure the rain to hear the Victory Day speech by St. Petersburg’s mayor.