“After a delicious lunch, we had an engaging organ tour! Darya Shkurlyatyeva told us about the organ’s design and its various features and capabilities and even played several pieces for us, which helped us appreciate the beauty and diversity of its sound. An orchestra in one instrument! There is a good reason why the organ is often called the king of musical instruments.

 

“In the first photo, you can see a psalmodicon which helps learn psalms. It looks a bit like the kantele and its sound resembles the violin if you use a bow.

 

“After that, we went for a walk. The city met us with snowflakes, rain, and puddles. This didn’t stop us and soon the sun came out, allowing us to walk around a little longer and enjoy the surrounding architecture and nature.

 

“Tired and gratified, we came back to the church to learn about canticles and psalms. We sang to a little harp and learned a little more about the history of our church hymnal, and at the end we sang Hymn 399 (“Near the Cross”) and expressed the hope we could come back here again!

 

“Many thanks to God for this day, to Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Congregation of Vyborg for their warm welcome and delicious lunch, and to Ms. Shkurlyatyeva for the day’s music, organ tour and wonderful walk in the city!”