A short walk through the sights of the biggest island of Saint Petersburg, that is full of legends and local lore.
You start from the metro station Vasileostrovskaya, from where you can easily see the first point of the route - the retro carriage with statues of horses and the coachman in front of it. The first line of horse-driven tram appeared on the island in 1860 and was used mostly for carrying cargo, but several years later was opened for passengers too. This type of public transportation replaced soon the less convinient omnibus in the central parts of the city.
The upper-level was caled "imperial", ticket there was cheeper, but women were not allowed to seat there - it was considered terribly indecent.
Count the buttons on the foreside of coachman's coat (not including the collar) - this number will be A.
Now walk down the pedestrian street (or, to be more exact, down the line, as far as it this part of the city each side of the street is a separate line with a number, so on your right side there will be the 7th line, and on your left - the 6th). Very soon you will see a statue of a moustached man sitting on a cannon. Tourists usually confuse him with tsar Peter the Great, but definitely he isn't. His name is Vassily Korchmin, and by a legend he was Peter's artillery commander, whose battery was situated here to protect the new born Saint Petersburg fortress from the enemies. So, Peter sent him his orders adressed as "to Vassily on the island", and soon the whole island was called Vassilievsky. That is not the only legend about the island's name, but probably the most popular one.
There are some cannonballs nearby, count them - this number will be B.
The next stop - the Dragon's Den! In this courtyard you will meet the Gorynych the Dragon, legendary beast from russian epics and fairy-tales. Many centuries ago he was furious and dangerous, he casted terror in the hearts of villains, stole princesses and fought with heroes. But times change, and now the wicked dragon is retired. He lets small children play with him, drinks beer with slaker students and shoots out flame only on the New Year night, when nobody cares.
I don't ask you to count the heads - that would be too obvious :) Better count here the claws on the dragons legs - that will be C.
Then you will approach one of the most mysterious places of the Island - the legendary Dr Poehl's pharmacy. Dr Poehl was considered a magician and alchemist, people said that his potions could heal every decease, and in the deep cellar he arranged a secret laboratory where conducted experiments in search of the philosopher's stone. The entrance to the lab was through the brick tower in the courtyard, covered with numbers. Some mystery code was hidden in these numbers - either a chemical formula or a clue for time-travelling. One who decrypts the code of the tower could fulfill wishes... Also there were rumours, that by night the griffins fly above the pharmacy, scream and dance in the skies!
Now it's hard to see the tower - locals protect the yard from strangers. And in the building now there is a medical centre and a pharmacy museum.
Next to the pharmacy entrance there is a doorway to living apartments. You need the biggest apt number on the 4th floor - that will be D.
Then walk down to the Neva bank, where the Sphynxes from ancient Egypt are mounted. They are original statues from about XIV century B.C. They are concidered to know the secret of pharaon's treasures, but those who tried to find out that secret, have gone mad. Also it is said that the expressions of the sphinxs' faces slightly change at dawn and dusk - one who gets there at the proper time may check.
You need the last 2 digits of the year on the postament - it will be E.
The final point is:
59 56,(A*B*C)-69
30 17,(D*E)/2+4
It is also a rather special place, but I won't tell anything, just come and see with your own eyes! GPS may be not too exact here, check the hint