That is what my St. Petersburg guide, Alex, calls the "900 Days," otherwise known as the Siege of Leningrad. Alex's mother was born in 1940 & the siege began in September of 1941, meaning her parents had to try to survive with a baby in an unheated house with virtually no food or water. Her father died as a result of Hitler's occupation, as did 1,000,000 other St. Petersburg residents. Most died of hunger & cold. Rations were cut to one tiny piece of bread per day per person. All the cats, dogs, & birds disappeared from the city, because they were eaten by the desperate.
When you're traveling, history is compressed in a startling way. In the morning, you stroll through a palace more sumptuous than you ever could have dreamed. Your face is suffused in warm reflections from all the gold. An hour later you stand trembling in a memorial to those who died during the 900 Days. The huge bronze statues stand out against the gray sky like silhouettes of something that once was.
After looking at the previous photos of opulence and followed by Russia's darkest time in history, it's so sad
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments...I appreciate them! That's the thing about Europe...its history is either ghastly or fabulous!
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