Larch against the sky

Larch is a tree that I learned to distinguish from others at an early age. My mother believed (she still does) that the best thing you can do if you have a cold and a runny nose is to stand under a larch tree and breathe in the clean, needles-scented air. The best place for this is the Seaside Victory Park. There is a whole alley of larches in this park, you can just walk along this alley and feel your health getting better and better.

We used the tram to get to the park. The tram crossed both arms of the Neva River, and each time the window unfolded spectacular views. Then the tram made its way through the narrow streets of Petrograd side, ringing the bell at the turns, ran over wooden Lazarevsky Bridge and rushed toward the bay. The last stops were in the park, the tram ran along a shady alley past briar thickets. Or past snow drifts, if it was winter. But in winter we didn't go to admire the larch, we just went for a walk. Larch, unlike other conifers, loses its needles in winter.

The tram stopped running on this route a long time ago, the tram rails were removed when the roadway was widened. But a few years ago, a new bus ring was built in place of the old tram ring, and now you can take a bus to the park. I was very happy with this decision of the city authorities. I can relive my childhood memories every time I take this route.