Summer in the Hermitage (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
Studying in Russia (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
May your sky be always clear, may your dear smile be always bright and happy, and may you be for ever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart…Isn’t such a moment sufficient for the whole of a man’s life?
— Fyodor Dostoyevsky, White Nights
It’s a shame that so many Americans are canceling their trips to Russia, since summer is the best time to go. When I was studying Advanced Russian in St. Petersburg and re-connecting with my Russian roots, going out with friends during the White Nights was one of the highlights of my time living there. Taking a boat ride at midnight on the Neva River to watch the massive bridges open for the tall ships was a travel experience I’ll never forget, and enjoying opera and ballet performances at the Mariinsky Theatre for the Stars of the White Nights Festival was the perfect way to delve into the country’s rich performing arts scene. If you’ve been thinking of canceling a scheduled trip to Russia this summer, you might want to reconsider–and check out the line-up of this year’s White Nights Festival at the Mariinsky Theatre to see what you’d be missing.
