Jun 20, 2006 1:30am @St. Petersburg, Russia A night to remember. This was the night, England played Sweden, in the 2006 World Cup Group B qualifiers. Result was a 2-2 draw. We watched the match, after work, in an english pub in town - from recollection, it was the Red Lion British pub ( http://www.red-lion.ru/). There is no doubt that pubs could make it far too exciting, to watch English football - this one was no exception indeed. While the match ended in a draw, the crowd, irrespective of whom they were supporting, created an ambience matching a Liverpool vs Man-United game.
The memorable part was not just the match. It started when we walked out of the pub and had a jaw-dropping view of the sky. It was past midnight and yet not dark. One has to see to believe it.
White Nights @1:30am
I was touring Saint Petersburg, on business. This was one of my many trips to Russia, that year, working on a consulting assignment. On the banks of River Neva, lies the city of Saint Petersburg. It was coming to one in the morning and the sky wasn't completely dark. There were people in the streets to watch the bridge open on the River Neva. The mood was that of festivity and why not - it was the White Night festivals, going on for a month or so.
I was touring Saint Petersburg, on business. This was one of my many trips to Russia, that year, working on a consulting assignment. On the banks of River Neva, lies the city of Saint Petersburg. It was coming to one in the morning and the sky wasn't completely dark. There were people in the streets to watch the bridge open on the River Neva. The mood was that of festivity and why not - it was the White Night festivals, going on for a month or so.
The white nights are a phenomenon in the Nordics, Russia, Alaska and countries that are above the Arctic circle. They are called the "Land of Midnight Sun". Wikipedia describes this as - "The "white nights" is the name given in areas of high latitude to the weeks around the summer solstice in June during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. In Saint Petersburg, the Sun does not set until after 10 p.m., and the twilight lasts almost all night. " ...
The three pictures shown here were taken between 12:30am and 1:30am. As far as my recollection goes, it was never dark completely. By 3am, a new dawn broke and at 4:30 am, it was nearly full daylight. It was an amazing experience. I wish, I had a better camera to capture all this.
Further References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neva_River http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Night_festivals
