Here come the holidays!

Well folks, as the holidays approach I can't help but notice the Christmas trees, holiday decorations, and unnaturally short days that plague this northern land in the wintertime. These days I wake up at about 7:30 in total darkness, eat breakfast, head to the metro (still in total darkness), ride on trains underground for an hour, arrive at Vasilievsky Island at about 9:20, and the sun starts coming up. You can enjoy sunlight as much as you want until about 4:30 when it becomes very dark very quickly. And the days are getting shorter yet!

It really is quite remarkable to me that it's possible to maintain a city of 5 million in such circumstances, yet it's also somehow enchanting. I'm finally getting around to read Преступление и Наказание (Crime and Punishment) and Dostoevsky's St. Petersburg is in many ways alive to this day.

Here's a snapshot I took while strolling downtown at dusk. There was a thin layer of ice on the Fontanka which was remarkably reflective.
There's not a whole lot to report otherwise; life is plugging along. I'm coming home for the holidays on December 13th and very much looking forward to it -- I haven't ever missed a Christmas with the family, and I'm not interested in breaking that tradition anytime soon.

Jono