The Pastel Magic of St. Petersburg
Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg
Whenever I try to describe my recent trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, I struggle to find the right words. It’s an extraordinary place that’s impossible to do justice to with a quick description—even photos can’t quite convey its majesty. Without question, it is one of the most stunningly beautiful and yes, magical cities I’ve ever been lucky enough to visit.
St. Petersburg feels magical in a way few places do. It’s filled with what I can only describe as pastel beauty: pale colors dominate its buildings and churches, yet they make a striking impression despite their muted tones.
St. Petersburg is a city you wander around in awe, struck over and over again by the grandeur of its architecture and the pastel colors popping everywhere the eye can see. You stroll through its churches—the Church of Our Savior On Spilled Blood, St. Isaac’s Cathedral—snapping photo after photo trying to capture just the perfect angle to showcase their beauty, but it can’t really be done; you need to actually be inside to understand the scope and see the beauty of the architecture and pale blue, gold-encrusted walls.
St. Petersburg is a beautiful city with a dark, painful stretch of history—the brutal siege of Leningrad (as it was then known) for several years during World War Two, during which many people starved to death while others endured hunger and war. That counterpoint was always in my head as I absorbed the physical beauty of the city. Knowing how much this city and its residents had suffered during those dark days made its resilience all the more impressive. St. Petersburg’s beauty is definitely not just skin-deep; darker tones under the city’s surface are a constant accompaniment to the pastels above.
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
And the Hermitage. The Hermitage! I loved just about everything I saw and did in St. Petersburg, but nothing can match this museum: a regal building wrapped in a coat of pastel green and gold, perched on a river, filled with palace-like rooms decorated with world-class art. I could have stayed there forever, or so I felt, and never have taken it all in. The overwhelming crush of art in famous museums can sometimes feel like overkill—enough with all the beauty, I can’t absorb any more paintings and sculptures—but I never felt that way at the Hermitage. It felt just right; beauty I could comfortably take in and appreciate as I made my way room by room through the highlights. It felt very accessible as well as majestic, and may be my new favorite art museum on the planet (sorry, Louvre and National Gallery!)
Inside the Hermitage.
Yes, I fell in love with St. Petersburg. (Can you tell?) And while I’m keen to explore much more of Russia in the future, I know my next trip to this vast, treasure-filled country will definitely bring me back to St. Petersburg for another dose of pastel-colored magic.
Have you been to St. Petersburg, or is it on your list? What is the most magical place you’ve ever visited?