fountains

It’s almost a year since we were in St Petersburg and I realised recently that I hadn’t blogged about our visit to the Summer Garden there. I hadn’t even heard of this place before we got to St Petersburg, but it is the most famous garden in Rusia apparently. It dates from 1704 when Tsar Peter the Great decided he wanted a garden in the European style and drew the initial plans himself.

I love fountains, we don’t have enough of them in the UK in my opinion, well not anywhere near where I live.

There are plenty to choose from in the Summer Garden, it’s all very classical. But we were there in early May and there wasn’t an awful lot in bloom at that time of the year in St Petersburg.

I’m not sure how the design differs from the original, but in 1777 there was a huge flood here, it’s close to the River Neva and everything was swept away, including the structures and fountains.

This is a beautiful place for those lucky enough to live in St Petersburg to take their exercise and it is well used by the locals. There were more locals in it than tourists which is always nice when you are in a foreign country. Maybe I’m strange but I hate feeling like a tourist! If you happen to be in St Petesrburg sometime, do check out the Summer Garden.

Back to the cruise and I always take photos of fountains whenever I see them, although I have to admit that I don’t often have to reach for my camera when I’m in Scotland for that reason, as there is a paucity of fountains here. I have no idea why, maybe they’re seen as being more worry than they’re worth as they would have to be turned off and drained in bad winters. Below are some of the photos I took in Spain Portugal and France.

But there were quite a few around in various destinations on our cruise. The one above was in Porto and the one below is in Ferrol I believe.

They’re rich in fountains in Honfleur as they have at least three of them although the one below might be better described as a water feature as it is a very gentle movement, but quite mesmerising. They’re all very different.

There’s something joyous about a fountain and the only ones I can think of in Scotland are really old ones. There isn’t even one at the newish Scottish Parliament buildings, although there is water it is just standing water with no apparent reason for being there, a missed opportunity in my opinion.

What do you think, are fountains a frippery too far – or not?

Pining for the West

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Category Archives: fountains

Armchair Travelling – Summer Garden, St Petersburg, Russia

Some fountains