Preparations for Christmas

Sue is suffering from "Creche Withdrawal." It's the week we usually spend decorating the Church building at home for the Crèche Exhibit. This year marks its thirtieth anniversary in Palo Alto, so Sister Rawson (the Mission President's wife) and Sue did a little garland fluffing here to remember the years we did the same thing at home.

And the final result is the St. Petersburg Mission Office Creche Exhibit! One lovely matryoshka doll set hand-painted in St. Petersburg and purchased from a street vendor outside the Christ on the Spilled Blood Church.

The little snowman cup on the left is for Sue's 'babushka candy.' Babushka is the Russian word for Grandmother. Sue always keeps a bowl of small hard sugar candies on her desk for passing volunteers. This cute snowman was in the box of Christmas decorations, so it has taken over candy-holding duty for the month.

Sisters Eaton and Mohlman, with Sue and Sister Rawson, also put together the Mission Christmas tree. It's one of those complicated ones where every branch has a color-coded tape and goes into a certain slot on the post. Assembly and decorating took all morning, but we loved doing it. Pres. Rawson came for the photo-op.

Weather report: Thursday, November 30 was the first  real snow of the season. On the leeward side of our apartment building there was up to one inch accumulation by 11 am. On the windward side nearer the river, there were two inches of accumulation with six-inch drifts. It was Ken's first cold, wet windy venture to visit the bank to draw out cash for Mission use. Here are photos from his winter trek.

VTB Bank

Malookhtinsky Prospekt from VTB Bank
with Gazprom Bank Tower on the left;
Our apartment/office complex is in the distance

"Old" Russian Orthodox Church across from VTB Bank

"New" Russian Orthodox Church across from
VTB Bank

Snow-covered trees near our apartment building

Peter the Great drawbridge and Smolny Cathedral
as seen from our side of the river. 

On Friday afternoon we went to The Hermitage for our weekly service. Afterwards we wandered around some of the rooms of the museum. Part of the first floor in the "New Hermitage" building houses Greek and Roman antiquities. The building was built to be a museum, and these rooms were designed by the architect to reflect Roman architecture. Ken took this panorama photo from floor to ceiling.  In reality the columns are straight, but the photo gives yu the sense of all the architectural details. The rooms even without the antiquities are works of art themselves.

After a bit of Greek and Roman art, we went upstairs to the Italian Renaissance section and spent some time looking at paintings and sculptures and carvings of nativity scenes. So many artists have depicted this most-important event in the history of the world.

Nativity in ceramic relief
Giovanni della Robbia (1469-1529)
in the Hermitage Museum

We particularly liked this one by della Robbia. He was one of the first to use fired and glazed clay to make art that had the color of a painting, but with the bas-relief texture of a marble carving. This is a very large piece-- 6+ feet tall. We liked the shepards on the field in the upper right corner who see the angels announcing the birth. And Heavenly Father watches over it all.

Last week we posted photos of the tree in Palace Square being assembled.  This week we can see it all finished.  It is huge!

Sue is in front of the tree! Hard to see in the dark.

Here is a link to a video of Sister Allen in front of this spectacular tree.  The music in the background is a street musician playing for passers-by in Palace Square.

And there are now lights on the light poles and across the broad expanse of Nevsky Prospekt.

There are beautiful water fountains in St. Petersburg. This one at the Admiralty building runs all summer, but of course has to be turned off once the temperature gets to freezing. But then they put lights on it instead of water! And the lights blink in succession down the strands, so it still has the effect of water falling! Watch the lights in this video! 

St. Isaac's-The symbol of St. Petersburg

We wandered south past the Admiralty and soon came upon St. Isaac's Cathedral. This is the "symbol church" of St. Petersburg.  

We kept wandering, looking for someplace new to eat dinner. Then we saw a restaurant that said Hotdogs & Hamburgers in English. We were ready to try for a good hamburger. We had burger and fries, and it was really good!

On Saturday afternoon Sue went over to the Church building for the Stake Relief Society Christmas party. There was a talk by the Stake President, a women's choir, and four different 'classes' that we rotated through--making cards, Christmas party games, no-bake cookies, and face massages. An interesting mix! Of course it was followed by yummy goodies.

Sister Rawson enjoying treats.