On cemeteries, Russia

I promised to write more about our time in Russia, which was truly the trip of a lifetime. I'll be doing so little by little, as there is much too much to process – and digest – in one blog post. To start – and this may be a tad morbid – but I'm going to begin by sharing my experience at two very old cemeteries in Saint Petersburg. Mostly because I love these photos best (taken with H's Nikon D90), but also because it was an unusual experience.

That day was gray and drizzly, a fitting backdrop: lopsided, old tombstones bemoaning with with rust and dirt stains, crowded amongst one another as if fighting for eternal space, and remarkably life-like, sculptural adornments of marble-lized women and men.

I usually avoid cemeteries as much as possible. For me, they represent sadness, tragedy, and the forgotten. But, The Fella insisted on trekking far across town to explore these cemeteries, one relatively young (early 1800s), in which lies the Russian greats – writers like Dostoyesky, musicians like Tchaikovsky, philosophers, politicians, artists! And the other, the resting place for commonplace Russian folk dating back beyond the 1700s.

{ Full of character: mismatched tombs + foreign Cyrillic characters }

{ I liked the bright contrast of the tulips with the overwhelmingly gray cemetery }

{ Spooky mausoleum }

{ HAHA }

There was an ethereal quietness that enveloped me, shrouded by overgrown shrubs, sweeping, old trees, and a stillness that I haven't ever experienced in old or new cemeteries in the States. I found myself disoriented in the narrow, winding footpaths, as I was obsessed with trying to pictorially capture all the sad, graceful lines of grieving statues.

{ You just don't see statues like this draped above American tombs }

I admit I had a fleeting moment of panic when I couldn't find The Fella, fearing that I would be lost forever in this overwhelmingly still cemetery. Luckily, that didn't happen. It was so worth it. I'm glad he convinced me to go! This was by far the most fascinating cemetery I've ever walked, and it allowed me the perfect setting to really experiment with H's borrowed camera.