Saturday, May 9, 2015

The Gulf of Finland, Spring 2015

        Yesterday I decided to go to the Gulf of Finland and to stroll along its sandy beaches. The day was sunny but windy and sometimes very cloudy. I grabbed my camera and went.
The water was blue-grey with strong waves because the Gulf of Finland is a part of Baltic sea. It extends between Finland, Estonia and Saint Petersburg where the river Neva drains into it.



The waves were very long as the Gulf is relatively shallow with the depth decreasing from the entrance to the gulf to the continent.


The northern coast of the Gulf where I live is high and windy, with small bays. It also is mostly sloping; there are abundant sandy dunes, with occasional pine trees. I climbed on a dune, there was no such strong wind, then I went into the forest and arrived to the entrance of a Sanatorium for children. I liked nice paths in the sanatorium park that was a mixture of pine, spruce, birch, willows, rowan. There were small ponds with aquatic plants, such as waterlilies and sedge.




Then I went out to the river Sestra. Some large rivers flowing into the gulf are Neva, Narva, Sestra, Porvoo. This river Sestra is long with enough quiet water.



When I came back to the shore and have realized that the weather got better, less clouds and more sun. You can see an island on a horizon on the last photo. The Gulf of Finland contains numerous banks, skerries and islands. Starting from 1700, nineteen artificial islands with fortresses were built there by Russia. The largest one is Kotlin island with the city of Kronstadt.



Walking by the beach I was thinking that the Gulf of Finland is one of the world's largest ship cemeteries. I've learned that because of the low salinity and cold waters the ships are relatively well preserved. Since the 6th century, major waterways were running through the gulf, and from the 8th to the 10th century about 3,000 tonnes of silver was transported there.
Who knows maybe one day taking a walk by the Gulf shore I will find something interesting...:))

Have you found something valuable walking along a river or a lake or sea shore?
 


More about the Gulf of Finland here

29 comments:

  1. Lovely, airy photos, Nadezda!
    The long, sandy beaches look so peaceful at this time of year. I guess they will be much more crowded when summer comes.
    Let's hope you will find something interesting during your walks! :)
    (As to treasures, do you remember when in 2013 divers found bottles of champagne, some 230 years old, on the bottom of the Baltic Sea? It's said it is still drinkable.)
    Have a beautiful weekend!

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    1. Oh, yes, I do Sara! It was a surprise for all who read about these divers. You're right this beach is crowded in hot days: adults with volleyballs, BBQ, animals, kids making sandy castles..
      Happy week!

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  2. This is so pretty! Beautiful nature! Such a difference compared to the Belgian coast where too many apartment buildings ruin everything. I went for a walk in a nature preserve there a while ago with my daughter but even there you could never see just nature or the sea, always those huge buildings, and cranes, used for building more apartment buildings. I can honestly say I really don't like our coast, not at all.
    Let us know if you ever find something interesting while walking along the beach at the Gulf of Finland ;) I've never found anything interesting on a beach walk.

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    1. I did not know about your coast Marian. It' so sad! Fortunately here there are large buildings in the city Gulf area only. The rest of coast is a nature preserve with some sanatoriums in deep of the woods.






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  3. Beautiful pictures of a beautiful surrounding Nadezda, that was a lovely walk. I can imaging you walking along the shore, dreaming about the mysteries happened in the past with the shipwrecks and then all of a sudden something is shining in the sand: silver.....
    Wish you a lovely weekend!

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    1. Ha ha, Janneke! It might be but the all what I could find would be mollusk shells...

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  4. Hello Nadezda,
    thank you for a walk beautiful beach.
    I'm delighted with your photos.
    They are excellent.
    Greetings.

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  5. Guapas muy guapas...Como me gusta el mar amiga. El cielo y el mar se han puesto de acuerdo para que hicieras unas fotos preciosas Nadezda.
    Gracias por traermelo a casa ;))
    Buen fin de semana.
    Un beso.

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    1. Me gusta el mar tambien, Laura. Pero yo no se nadar bien y no me alejo mucho.

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  6. What a gorgeous place to visit and a relaxing walk on the beach !!
    Nadezda, thank you very much for showing this place !!
    Have a nice Sunday !

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    1. Ela, Polish Baltic sea shore is beautiful too. Did you liked to go there?

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  7. ╰✿づ
    Paisagens muito bonitas, amei o passeio virtual pelo Golfo da Filândia!!!

    FELIZ DIA DAS MÃES!!!

    Bom fim de semana!
    Beijinhos.

    ╰╮✿
    ✿✿ه° ·.

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    1. Ines, gracias contanta que te gustan las fotos.

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  8. Hello Nadezda!What a lovely place!I'm impressed!
    I really enjoyed walking with you at the beach!
    Gorgeous pictures!Ηappy Mother's Day!
    Dimi...

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  9. Can't say that I've been so lucky to find something interesting or valuable. What a beautiful place Nadezda, looks like a great place to walk. You had great weather for it too :)

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    1. Yes, the weather was fine Angie. I was lucky that day! In winter when the Gulf is frozen I can't walk there.

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  10. What a beautiful area you live in! I'm always drawn to lakes and the ocean, probably because we live in the land-locked heart of the Midwest. I have to drive over 200 kilometers just to see a large lake!

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    1. Rose, I can understand you, because I always please near the sea, ocean, the Gulf of Finland. The water seems to me strength but any water is dangerous in storm or strong wind and waves.

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  11. The only thing that I ever found walking along an ocean shoreline was some shells, but then I have always thought of shells as nature's treasures. It must have been nice to walk along the ocean even at this cooler time of year.

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    1. Yes, it is Jennifer! A stroll along the shore is wonderful in any season except winter:))

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  12. I love walking along the sea shore. I do love gathering sea shells, but I think what I find that is most valuable is my sanity. Walking on the beach with sand in your toes is like sunshine for the soul. I can never have enough.

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    1. It's very wise Carolyn! I do love breathing sea air. It's good for health especially for those who live in a very big city as St. Petersburg.

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  13. What a gorgeous spot where you live so close to the Gulf and all the other water and beaches, woods. Fascinating spots and I wish I lived near the ocean myself...always loved the ocean.

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  14. Hello Nadezda girl !
    What gorgeous pictures ... I love the forest being so close to the sea and beaches.
    I spent part of my childhood by the Atlantic sea ..Fortress Louisbourg was being restored there.
    My favorite places were in the woods .. at the beach (no people around .. it was wonderful !) ...
    I think that is why I garden .. I want to build my own little sanctuary : )
    The paths have to be redone .. the first guy did not dig deep enough so the stones are floating on top and not secure .. so we have to go through it all over again with a professional this time ... some day it will be close to perfect ? haha
    Take care!
    Joy : )

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  15. One thing about a stormy sky is it sure gives you some dramatic-looking clouds. I love the fat, fluffy white clouds floating by. Great pictures Nadezda!

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  16. Wow! This looks and sounds like such an interesting place. I grew up in Oregon, and now living in Alaska, I am no stranger to windy beaches. It's pretty much all I've known! Even in the wind, a long strip of sand is so peaceful. I do love looking for agates and seaglass washed up on shore, and I have quite a collection of those.

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