Wednesday Walk on a carpet of fallen leaves

There are days in October when there is a delicate balance. About half the leaves are still on the trees and you can admire the shades of yellow, orange and red against the blue. sky. The other half of the foliage has already flown down and turned into a colourful carpet under your feet. It was on a day like this that I went for a walk around Stone Island.

The Stone Island has its own face, it is not like any other neighbourhood in the city. The island is located in the delta of the Neva River and in past times it was not a pleasant place to live. It was a low-lying area, partly swampy, partly overgrown with forest. At the end of the XVIII century the island was drained and the forest was cut down. A palace for the heir to the throne was built on the beautiful cape, and the neighbouring lands immediately began to be in high demand among the nobility.

The land of Stone Island was divided for the construction of mansions, and in the very centre of the island a park was arranged, which was named ‘Quiet Rest’. The construction of new mansions continued until the beginning of the 20th century, and now several beautiful Art Nouveau mansions can be seen on the island. A few buildings were built in the XX and early XXI centuries, but this low-rise development does not stand out from the general background.

After a walk through the park Quiet Rest, I decided to approach the Follenweider mansion. This mansion stands on the banks of the Grand Canal, but the front of the building is almost impossible to see from this side: the trees have grown so tall that they almost completely obscure the view. I walked around the mansion to see it from other angles: the side facade from the Grand Alley and the rear of the mansion from the garden. Architect Roman Melzer built this Art Nouveau mansion in 1904.

I had an idea to see a few more Art Nouveau and Neoclassical mansions built in the late 19th and early 20th century, but I soon realised that I should choose another time of year to see the architectural monuments. The whole island is like a big park, and the mansions are hidden in the thick foliage of the trees. I'd rather come here in winter to see the architecture. But on this sunny autumn day, it's much nicer to walk through the park, on the carpet of fallen leaves.

This is my entry for the #WednesdayWalk challenge by @tattoodjay.