Day 1 in St. Petersburg: Friday, January 12, 2007

A canal near Nevsky Prospekt

Late afternoon on a sunny winter day

The Mariinsky Palace at dusk, opposite St. Isaac's Cathedral

View of St. Isaac's and Hotel Astoria at night

Bolshaya Morskaya at night

Looking toward the dome of Kazansky Cathedral

Kazansky Cathedral at night - this Russian Orthodox Church displays battle standards captured from Napoleon's invading armies in 1812. Field Marshal Kutuzov is buried in the vault of the church. In the Russian Orthodox tradition many czars and warrior princes like Alexander Nevsky are considered to be holy saints.

Christmas tree in front of Kazansky Cathedral

Traffic on Nevsky Prospekt at night

Building on Nevsky Prospekt

Russia Blog editor Charles Ganske at a restaurant on Nevsky Prospekt

Day 2 in St. Petersburg: Saturday, January 13, 2007

Shooting a film or TV show on the streets of St. Pete

The famous battle cruiser Aurora docked on the Neva River

Once a shrine to the Bolshevik Revolution, the Aurora is now surrounded by symbols of capitalism - large signs for Samsung and Gazprom

The Governor's Palace at night

Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood, known officially as the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. It was built between 1883 and 1907 as a memorial to Czar Alexander II who was assassinated by an anarchist suicide bomber at the site in 1881.

Gazprom ad for the local hockey team

Ad for a rock concert by the popular Russian band Lyube - sponsored by the United Russia Party

Stove (pechka) at the popular Elki Palki Restaurant on Nevsky Prospekt

Pastoral imagery of a Russian troika pursued by wolves on the wall of the restaurant

Main altar at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church on Nevsky Prospekt. St. Catherine's is the oldest Catholic church in Russia and was established in 1716 after Peter the Great issued an edict of religious tolerance. The parish priest Monsignor Konstancy Budkevich was murdered by the GPU Communist secret police at Lubyanka prison in 1923. After decades of neglect and a fire in 1984, the church was restored to the Catholic diocese in 1992. Like the resurrected Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, it is a symbol of the rebirth of religious freedom in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Crucifix inside St. Catherine's - Sunday Masses are performed in Russian, Polish, English and Spanish. When I visited the church a priest was teaching a religious class in Spanish to Hispanic expats.

A Nativity Scene in St. Catherine's Catholic church

Gorokhovaya Street at night - coming back to the Prestige Hotel

Russia Blog editor Charles Ganske checking email in the lobby of the Prestige Hotel

UPDATE: Click on the link to view part three in the photo series!

All of these photos were taken with a Nikon Coolpix 5600 digital camera without a tripod. Link and reference to Russia Blog required when reposting these photos.