April snowfall, a walk through the courtyards and the Obvodny Canal embankment

This year's spring weather is particularly varied. On the first of April it was almost +20°C, literally a few tenths short of this round beautiful figure. Even in the evening it was warm, I walked until sunset. But on the third of April all the figure "2" from these "+20°C" disappeared somewhere... On the third of April the weather offered another menu, there was snowfall, hail, strong wind, thunderstorm. The next morning I looked out the window and saw that everything around me was covered with pure white snow.

This is not to say that April snowfall is a rarity. The weather in April is exactly like this - more often warm, but sometimes the recent winter reminds us of itself with a sudden cold snap. But the weather swings every time as a sudden surprise. By the weekend, all the snow will melt and it will be +10°C, which is usual for April, but for a day or two it is even pleasant to plunge into winter, it's like an invigorating cold shower. The air after a snowfall is especially clean, it's like being washed with snow, and every breath adds vigour.

I took this little walk through the courtyards of old apartment blocks on the embankment of the Obvodny Canal. The general idea of the walk was "we have to take photos of the snowfall before it melts". Walking along the avenues in this situation is a bad idea - cars quickly turn the snow cover into grey mush - so I turned into the courtyards.

The buildings on the Obvodnoy Canal embankment are typical buildings of the late 19th century. These were flats where poor city dwellers lived. Plants and factories were being built nearby, so most of all there were factory and factory workers. Peasants who had just moved to the city, poor clerks of chancelleries, merchants of petty goods could also settle here. The facades of the buildings are decorated with architectural decorations, but from the courtyard side these houses look as simple as possible: plain walls and rectangles of windows.

This area has long ceased to be a suburb, the city has grown a lot, from these houses to the modern city boundary is more than 10 kilometres. Most of the factories and plants have been moved to new, more spacious and modern sites. However, the old factory buildings have survived - they are considered monuments of industrial architecture and have been converted for modern use. As offices, hotels, creative spaces, rehearsal spaces and the like, there are many options for the conversion of old buildings.

The courtyards of residential blocks of flats have also been transformed. I would not have been able to walk so calmly through these courtyards in the XIX century, the whole space of such courtyards was a labyrinth of narrow passages between stacks of firewood, parked carts, barns with household utensils. A beautiful front garden, a flower garden under the windows, comfortable benches, children's playgrounds - all this was not available at that time.

In the gaps between the houses I sometimes saw buildings on the embankment, from these courtyards there is a beautiful view of the Church of the Resurrection. It is a parish Orthodox church, built in 1904-1908.

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Smartphone	Google Pixel 3a
Location	Saint Petersburg, Russia