The Hermitage Courtyards and the Winter Canal: a walk on a gloomy November day

Greetings, friends! This time I decided to take a walk around the central part of the city. The weather was disgusting. Fine snow, wind, gray clouds. At the very beginning of the walk I went to the Neva river embankment, but the strong wind explained to me that it was the wrong choice of route. I decided to walk forward to the Winter Canal and turn along this canal away from the Neva embankment so that the stone walls of the buildings would protect me, if not from the cold and snow, at least from the wind.

As it turned out, the Winter Canal embankment is under renovation, so I had to adjust my route again. I photographed the perspective of the Winter Canal, and walked a little further to Shuvalovsky passage. Shuvalovsky passage (sometimes called Hermitage passage) is something between an alley and a spacious courtyard. It is located between two buildings of the State Hermitage Museum.

The Shuvalovsky passage is blocked by gates on both sides. In the evenings these gates are closed, but during the day they are opened and you can pass through them. About in the middle of the passage there is an arch, and through the large semicircular windows you can see the visitors of the museum. Several buildings of the Hermitage are connected with each other by such corridors over arches or other internal passages.

I walked between the buildings of the Great Hermitage (it is a pale green colored wall) and the New Hermitage (it is a yellow colored wall). The New Hermitage building was built in the mid-19th century specifically for a public art museum. The facade of the building is decorated with sculptural portraits of outstanding artists of antiquity.

I walked through Shuvalovsky passage and came out on Millionnaya Street. From this point one of the most beautiful classical views of St. Petersburg opens up. St. Isaac's Cathedral can be seen in the back of the frame. I turned in the opposite direction and approached the Winter Canal again, but this time from the street side rather than the embankment side. The canal was also fenced on this side, and some of the granite revetment and fence had been dismantled for repair work.

Along the embankment of the Moika River I reached the Field of Mars and then turned towards the Castle of Engineers. Around the area of the Field of Mars another gust of wind blew out of my head all thoughts about admiring the city scenery some more. I stopped a few more times for a moment to take photos, but my main goal became to get to some warm corner: a hospitable bus, a cozy cafe or a soft couch with a plaid.

This is my entry for the #WednesdayWalk challenge by @tattoodjay.