Smolny

I set off on foot, munching a poppy-seed twist, past the Tauride Gardens, to the Smolny Convent, Cathedral and Institute.  The Institute is of particular interest as I've read of it in such works as John Reed's Ten Days That Shook the World - basically, it was the Revolution's HQ for a while (having been founded as an educational establishment for 'honourable young ladies') and where people like Reed were given their passes.  There's a statue of Lenin in the middle of the grounds and a fleet of sleek black Nissans outside.

Lenin in the Smolny Institute Gardens