The last few years, probably for the reason of global worming, we had not seen much of the "proper" ice cover over the Neva.
This year however made up for all those years, We were in luck! So, I am happy to invite you to "walk upon waters"
The Troytskiy bridge (freshly restored); view from the wall of Peter and Paul fortress.
But lets go towards the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.
Rescue officers are giving rides in their hovercraft, but for pretty girls only.
The Hovercraft, almost a "flying ship", is an ideal vessel for ice and water.
Almost a street fair, it appears people walk from one side to the other, but that is just an illusion:
In fact the ice is broken purposely along the fortresses beach, so the public would not gad about. The result of this exercise: everyone walking from Vasilyevsky (trying to cut the corner) up to the strip of the water, tap dancing next to it and… walking back, cursing the inventor of the icebreaker.
The white UFOlike object is the tent covering the "Ice House"- the special building with sculptures made of ice (evidently). The ice was delivered specially from so far away as Sweden, I guess Russian ice does not possess the appropriate constrictive qualities! . People who'd paid for the ticket and been there, were not particularly impressed, so I did not go in.
The strip of water is pretty wide, while I was there no one attempted to cross more than a third of it,… may be because the ice blocks are actually moving…
However, two policemen are waiting on the other side of the "canal", anxious to give the potential, successful adventurers a "hot" welcome.
But in this photo, (taken last month) the water strip was a lot narrower, some lucky risk takers managed to get across. Needless to say, about three rescue cases from the water were reported on TV.
By some reliable witnesses accounts, then the strip was frozen completely,the two policemen still were there, stopping everyone going across. So, everyone walked 20 meters left or right and …kept going…across. It looked like an insane attempt to install the customs post in the center of the Sahara, in order to stop the caravans crossing the desert.
From the practical point of view it would be wiser to spread a couple of regiments along the river banks … or run the icebreaker regularly up and down the river…but that would be too boring…
Here is the picture from even earlier days, ice is broken not along Peter and Paul's fortress's beach but on opposite side of the Neva, so people could cross from Vasilyevsky to the fortress but not from side to side.
The small pieces of ice in this sunset light look like icebergs between the snow mountains.
The Spit of Vasilyevsky Island
Kunstcamera-The Science Academy (the tower on the left),
Zoological museum (album237)
and one of the Rosstral columns.
The Birzha - Old Stock Exchange building (behind the column) is almost restored.
The Winter Palace.
The ice under the Dvortsovi Bridge is virgin, clean and shiny, because the snow cannot reach it's surface. It looks like some enchanted lake…
But the ice under the bridge is less strong, the current between the supports prevents the ice from hardening as much … The Neva is known for it's incredible stream thrust…
The fishermen by the Birzhevoi Bridge.
Crossing the Neva Riva.
The winter sport for you.
It is time to finish my "Winter's Tale"
And remember: "The Walking On Ice is Strictly
Forbidden"! :-)
(The sign)
