Anna H.
Is it possible that in autumn it’s pumpkin spice time in St. Petersburg too? To me, this time of year is all about the flavors – be it fried mushrooms with onions and potatoes, newly pickled cucumbers, or carrot cake (OK, that has somehow become a perennial treat here). If it’s gloomy outside, you could always sample “liquid autumn” in the form of the local teas. Served in a glass teapot heated by a candle, oftentimes they’re less of an actual tea and more of a sweet concoction of fruits, berries and honey or jam. Thick and delicious. One of my favorites is on the menu at Buddy Cafe across from ITMO’s Lomonosova campus. It’s orange and sea buckthorn, with a touch of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Perfect for an autumn outing.
Anastasia L.
Despite being a pretty outgoing person in general, I sometimes love spending time indoors, and when it’s rainy and dark outside, it’s so much easier not to feel uncomfortable or guilty for that. For me, autumn is about living slowly, binging on TV series, snuggled up under a fluffy blanket, drinking liters of hot tea with raspberry, lemon and honey, taking extra care of my collection of houseplants, and cooking baked apples with sugar, butter and cinnamon. And it’s also time to return to museums after a long summer break!
Maryam
After the stunning green of summer, autumn brings a new life to the city. The streets are donned with beautiful red and orange leaves. The parks are a stunning amber. So my advice to you is to head to Pushkin and visit Catherine Palace and the surrounding parks. I went there last year in October, and it was beautiful! In autumn, there are much fewer visitors so the queue for the palace is much shorter, and from 20 October you can enter the park free of charge! You’ll be surrounded by a golden wonderland that is out of this world and a must see. If you don’t want to go all the way to Pushkin though, you can get a spectacular experience in any of the city parks, like Elagin Island. Enjoy the stroll and the crisp fresh autumn breeze!
Anastasia K.
Let’s look at it this way: it’s fall, it’s gray, it’s drizzly (and straight-out pouring it down with rain in the worst-case scenario), and the outside is crawling with people who seem to be determined to sneeze all over you and then some to convert you into a similarly malevolent serial sniffler. There’s absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel here: the best autumnal activity is to stay on your couch with a TV remote in one hand and a plate of food in the other and savor the abundance of the TV shows old and new that fall has to offer. Here’s our article that includes a cream-of-the-crop selection of last year’s offerings, and here’s an excellent 2019 rundown including so many of those that with some luck, you won’t need to spend as little as a second outside should this be what your heart desires.
ITMO.NEWS Editorial Team
