Some time ago I read that a new promenade was being built near the Lakhta Centre skyscraper. Correspondents' stories didn't give me much useful information, so I decided to go and see it for myself the first chance I got.
First I had to work out how to get to the beginning of the promenade. This is not as trivial a task as it first appears. The construction of the complex next to the skyscraper is still ongoing. The construction of the roads and the landscaping of the surrounding areas is also ongoing. So not all roads are equally accessible.
At first I thought I would take a bus to the new embankment, but after a careful study of maps I decided on a simpler route - walking from the nearest metro station. This way, I didn't have to cross overpasses and multi-lane highways.
As it turned out, I made the right choice. The distance from the metro station to the start of the promenade was less than 1.5 kilometres. I walked along the avenue first, and then over the new bridge over Lahti harbor. I could have shortened the walk a bit by taking a tram. But I figured crossing the avenue twice and waiting for transport was hardly faster or easier than walking.
The new embankment already has an official name. It's called the Open Quay. The name sounds very simple and very accurate at the same time. It has beautiful views over the Gulf of Finland, a large open space. It turned out to be a very pleasant place to walk - especially for walks in warm, windless weather.
The main attraction of the promenade is the mirrored amphitheatre of the Perot. The upper edge of the mirror looks like the crest of a wave - and models of sailboats enhance this impression. One of the sailboats has sails in red. It is a reminder of the book by Alexander Grin and the Scarlet Sails holiday for school leavers of the same name.
When I got to the end of the promenade, I saw that the far side of the promenade was still closed, with work going on there. I wondered if I should call the story "a half-open promenade", but then I thought that would sound sarcastic - although that was not what I wanted to say. I wanted to give a hint that soon this promenade will become an even more interesting place to walk than it is right now.
There's a good view of the skyscraper from this point - up to this point I was too close to the foot of the skyscraper to get the whole thing in one shot.
At the beginning of the promenade there are multi-level benches with wireless charging. Nearby there is a scooter car park where you can rent an electric scooter via an app. It's a pity I spotted these electric scooters at the very end of the walk - the promenade is quite long, and a scooter ride would have been nice.
| ā | ā |
|---|---|
| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
This is my entry for the #BeautifulSunday challenge by 
