Catching up with the New Year 2026 at Saint-Petersburg.

With my holiday trip to Moscow I nearly missed the celebrations at Saint-Petersburg! And, luckily for me, there is an Old New Year that will be my excuse to tell you all about my quick walk there!😁

I pulled out Hikarinaka and StarryWolf to take a short trip to the Rostral Columns at Vasilyevsky island. We planned to meet up at Sportivnaya metro-station and take a walk from, there.

Everything went awry from the very beginning! I wanted to take Shimakaze for her first outside adventure. Big mistake! She has very small slits for vision (I know I still haven’t written a post about her! I’ll do this, eventually! Pinky promise!). For some reason right after I walked outside, the right eye shifted upwards slightly and covered the slit, so I left with only one tiny hole to see what the hell is going on around me. Add strong winter winds ruffling my hair before my face, and my trip to the closes metro-station was done basically blind and by memory alone!🙈 Honestly, I was this close to call quits and turn around.😣 But, after going inside the station and adjusting the eye a bit, I was able to see somewhat properly. Wolfie was the real MVP of this trip, holding me all the time so that I can navigate the world around me.🥇❤️

The second hit was quite unexpected. For some reason we opted out to walk from Admiralteyskaya metro-station instead. And you know what this meant? Right! A massive fucking crowd!😱 How we got out of it? I have no idea! It was a blur! Hika went forward, Wolfie pulled me behind them, I just moved my feet and held their hand like my life depended on it! It was pure chaos!😨

Finally, we stumbled into Aleksandrovsky garden. And oh, what a difference a night makes!🎇 I’ve been here just about a month ago, with all the decorations already present, but during the day. During the day the garden was quiet and empty.

Aleksandrovsky garden at night

Now, it was magical.✨

All those shimmering lights and garlands that I saw during the day, came to life, casting long shadows and painting everything in shades of gold, blue, and green. We spent about 20 minutes there, posing amongst the glitter. Of course, the moment I tried to get a decent picture, a horde of kids would rush past me, their parents chasing after them, nearly trampling us in the process. One kid literally tried to steal my glove! Usually I don’t mind kids being curious, but there is a limit. And stealing is it.🤬

Crossing the Dvortsovy bridge

After this, we moved towards the Vasilyevsky island through the Dvortsovy bridge. The wind… dear lord, the wind was just freezing cold!🥶 I really overestimated the thickness of my clothes! Though, to have an excuse, I wasn’t planning to walk across Neva-river! It was beautiful though, seeing the light decorations from both sides of the bridge, with the dark water of the Neva below.

Reaching Vasilyevsky, we finally saw the main attraction: the Rostral Columns. And right next to them, a giant Christmas tree.🎄 It was a classic Saint-Petersburg sight – all decked out with lights, standing tall against the dark winter sky.

Vasilyevsky island and Appulse

But the real treasure was the art exhibition right there on the plaza: “Appulse”. Or as we call it: “Parade of planets”.🌍

Imagine walking through a mini-solar system. Massive, spherical structures representing planets, lit up from the inside. People were everywhere, laughing and posing. We had to get in on it. By the way, just look at those realistic “ice caps” on the poles! Me being an astronomy nerd (who knew?), I pointed it out.🧊

And Hika insisted that this big, blue, striped planet was Uranus. It was Neptune, Hika! Neptune!😏

Then there was the Sun. A brilliant red and yellow orb. For some reason my hair went wild in that shot, blown straight back from my face. Must be solar wind!☀️💨

Next stop was Earth. I had to try lifting the whole thing. “This whole planet is now MINE!” I declared. “Behold, your new kigu overlord!".😈 Of course it was too heavy for me, so I fell onto the snow below me with a comical plop! Wolfie had to help me up, laughing his ass off. The picture turned out to be hilarious. I love it!😅

We ended our planetary adventure by the Christmas tree, of course. Had to make a proper one, even though the holidays are almost over. A final pose under the lights to end a night of pure, chaotic fun. It was cold, it was windy, it was full of people, and it was perfect. 🤗

2026 is officially underway, and this walk? It was just the beginning. There are a thousand more streets to explore, a million more stories waiting to be told.

Let’s go find them.

And you, you’re invited. Keep watching my blog. More walks are coming soon.