Last & 7th day in Sant Petersburg, Russia

 On my last day in St. Petersburg, I walked 4.2 km to the Smolny Cathedral which is a part of the architectural ensemble of the Smolny Convent, located on the left bank of the Neva River. The Smolny Cathedral and Smolny Convent are built in the Baroque style under a decree of Empress Elizabeth, who had intended to retire to a monastery in her old age. The ensemble was built by the architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, and it was the last work of the great architect. Over time, the Smolny Institute became the most prestigious institution for women. The Empress became a patroness of the Institute, and she personally attended the final examinations.

I then walked by Tauride Garden that was behind the Tauride Palace from which it took its name. Potemkin was one of Catherine the Great's favorites (and lover, allegedly), and the Empress gave Potemkin the land and the title of Prince of Tauridia for his services in conquering ancient Tauridia (now the Crimean Peninsula). The Tauride Garden was landscaped in true Romantic style, designed to imitate nature, with ponds and canals and picturesque rolling landscape. On the way back, I ran into a unique church trade show with booths selling religious items. I stopped by a supermarket and picked up lunch to eat in the hostel, then got ready for my fight in the evening into China.