Fall in the Anichkov Palace Garden

This small garden near the Anichkov Palace on Nevsky Prospect I fell in love as a child. I had a very good reason for it: the New Year's Eve fairs were held in this garden. Now it's hard for me to imagine how the organizers managed to place the outlets and the public walking between the stalls in the small space of this garden. In my childhood memories, New Year's fairs seem to be grand events, held on a grand scale. But in reality, there were probably only a small number of garlanded stalls set up here, selling Christmas decorations, streamers, and sweet surprises.

The high gates on the side of Nevsky Prospekt were hospitably open during New Year's fairs. All the rest of the time they stood closed, and to visit the garden you had to choose another entrance. For example, one could go through the lobby of the Anichkov Palace. That's exactly what I did when I was a teenager. The Anichkov Palace is home to the Palace of Young People's Art, and I took classes in physics and geology. I also wanted to join the Young Astronauts Club, but the program of that club involved intense sports and I didn't find that very exciting. After club activities, it was possible to go out into the garden to extend my time with friends with a little walk.

After I was finally out of childhood, I began to go to that garden less often. The garden remained just as nice and cozy, but it was too small to go there on purpose. I would stop by the garden if I happened to be in the area on some business and not in a hurry to go anywhere. I knew the little gate that led to the garden from Ostrovsky Square, and sometimes I would turn to that gate for a little rest in the garden.

But one day I was going to look into the garden, and the gate was firmly locked. The next time, the gate was closed again. I began to turn to that gate on purpose, hoping that it would open again, but to no avail. Each time I looked sadly at the iron lock that closed the way to the garden of my childhood for me. Sometimes I noticed people strolling inside the garden, but I thought they were gardeners or other employees.

On this beautiful sunny day I was going into the front courtyard of the Anichkov Palace to take pictures of the beautiful frieze with the griffins. I could have entered the courtyard from Nevsky Prospekt, but it was more convenient for me to walk from the other side, past the Service Building. I was walking along the fence of Anichkov Garden and suddenly I saw that in one place there was a passage inside the garden. It was an unexpected, but very pleasant surprise! I immediately took the opportunity to walk through the alleys of the garden and admire the bright fall foliage and the equally bright late fall flowers.