the city on the Neva recorded temperature record. 115 years ago, in 1905, 17 in June was 27.3 degrees Celsius in 2020 to 27.5. At the St. Petersburg humidity this seemingly non-extreme temperature felt almost as forty-plus. In the city and suburbs still closed parks due to coronavirus restrictions. That is, the life-giving shade and coolness among the green while that under lock and key. Correspondent “MK” walked through the burning town to see how Petersburgers escape from the heat.
First of all go to look at the queue at “Zara”. As soon as the city allowed the opening of non-food shops with a separate entrance to the boutique on Nevsky people lined up almost to the Kazan street, which became an urban meme. I walk along the queue of any distance, here we are not talking. The impression is that for people is more of a hangout than a real urgent need to buy pants and t-shirts. But it’s nowhere near a tree or Bush of lilacs, the sun is mercilessly burning, granite slabs pyshut heat. From the constant heavy traffic along Nevsky – hot wind. The store allowed no more than ten people at a time. People go by.
what is this place? Where are why?
– To shop, buy clothes.
– all clothes?!
– Yes, so urgently need a t-shirt to buy. Does without new t-shirts!
In the other Central streets rush no queues, but revives tourist infrastructure: restaurants, cafes optimistic mounted of the summer veranda (although officially they still are not allowed to work), opened some kiosks with dolls, vests and other Souvenirs. Street artists and bards, are trying hard: at the Savior-on-Blood animator in the plush horse costume (I didn’t know what he advertised) attacked me with a cry of “Girl where such beautiful arrived, let’s hug!” That is, we have an epidemic, and strangers on the streets so easily rush to hug. Besides, sure I come from somewhere – that is, the tourist, apparently, still going.
Go to field of Mars is one of the few in the city open areas with greenery. Usually, if the weather is warm, St. Petersburg lie on the grass, now not just warm, but hot, so the townspeople hide in the shadows, lying under the lilac bushes. Fans of the scorching sun tan in bikinis and swimming trunks. Perhaps for newcomers this weird landscape – still on Mars we have the Eternal flame and the graves of revolutionaries. Under granite slabs lie here Moses Uritsky, V. Volodarsky, Lev Mikhailov, several Latvian Riflemen – the people in whose honor named streets and squares across the former Soviet Union. And here now, lounging under the lilacs, citizens discuss all the same all in “Zara”: “Imagine there is a crowd, no distance at all.”
From the Champs de Mars crossing the Trinity bridge, gontrying to look at the main town beach the Peter and Paul fortress. Tan bastions of the townspeople begin in March as soon as the sun comes out and all spring people sprawled on the stone walls in front of the Hermitage, photographed by tourists. In particularly hot days in the waters of the Neva, some even swimming. But now on the beach there is no one – visible from afar. Come closer and it turns out that the bridges to the Peter and Paul fortress is blocked by fences, each sits guard. Indeed, the Museum is closed – along with the beach under the walls of the fortress. But St. Petersburg, a little dazed from the unaccustomed heat, not to stop to sunbathe, they settled on the other side of the fortress, on Fontanka embankment. Then right below a busy road sunbathing – gray-headed men, and had already managed to get a tan woman in swimsuit. A couple of people even goes to his knees in Kronverksky Strait. Immediately slice the water tanned men on jet skis, on bends spraying spray the roadway.
a Little further on the spit of Vasilievsky island, the people sitting by the water, eat fruits and wet feet in the river. In the shadow of a melancholy retired plays the acoustic guitar “the City over free Neva”. In the evening sent on unequipped beach on the alluvium of Vasilievsky island: a new land reclamation area is not the first summer becomes a natural recreational area. Luxurious views of the Bay and the tower of “Gazprom”, the colorful sunsets, white nights. Here making barbecue, drink wine, sing songs, walk their dogs. Not bathing – after all, water is not particularly clean. A little further on the other side Smolenka field hospital in the exhibition hall “Lenexpo”. Where, according to the Governor Alexander Beglov, equipped with beds for the new coronavirus of patients – a resource for redesigning hospitals nearly exhausted. Restrictions in the city will continue to remove – though in Petersburg it is not as fast as in Moscow.
