today

I had quite the ecclesiastical tour of Nevsky Prospect today. First, not on Nevsky Prospect at all actually but near Peter and Paul Fortress, I saw a very cool blue-tile-decorated mosque.
Then, directly upon emerging from the Nevsky Prospect metro station, I went to Kazan Cathedral. Kazan Cathedral is ugly enough to have avoided being a museum rather than a church, which was a very nice change. It’s sort of gray and neoclassical and strangly shaped, and it was built after the Napoleonic Wars I think. There were actual people praying in it rather than tourists taking pictures, and the icons were uninteresting, and it was generally pleasant. There was a very long line of people waiting to kiss the icon of the Virgin of Kazan; other than that is was fairly quiet. I don’t know how I feel about churches being used to house the keys of defeated French fortresses... well, yes I do. It’s awesome. These were some sweet keys, and there were plenty to be had of them. There were also captured military banners.
Next went into a rather nondescript Catholic Church. I was the only one in it. I forgot what bare church walls looked like. It was nice.
Further along the street I found a very sweet little blue-and-white Armenian Church. Armenian script is apparently very, very cool. Also the Armenians apparently believe in pews, unlike the Russians. It was a very nice place to sit.
Leaving for Helsinki soon.


Um. I am in Helsinki now. This cannot be a real language that they are speaking here.