August 6, 1998, Thursday

Our breakfast was early because of the tours. We were taken first to the Hermitage Museum, which was the winter palace. Room after room was filled with the portraits of nobility and the paintings of Rembrandt, Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo. There were many paintings by many other famous painters from throughout the world. In the earlier times the subject matter was of a religious nature but in the later centuries they showed more knowledge of the human anatomy and drew muscles as they really are. There were some beautiful landscapes, battle scenes, and nudes. There were innumerable statues carved in stone by Rogan and other world renowned sculptors. Many rooms displayed battle implements and other artifacts. We only saw a small part of the displays.

Before the occupation by the Germans, most of the art work was packed up and secretly removed to a safe location. Only a few people know of the precious cargo and the sealed train carried away to safety. There were so many rooms full of art that a person could spend years looking. At the Rembrandt of Abraham Ready to kill his son with a knife as a sacrifice but stopped by an angel, a budding artist had set up an easel and was duplicating the picture. We had a local guide who led the group from room to room and explaining the art and a guide from the boat to make sure no one got lost.

We ate our bagged lunch on the buss full of British people. Some of them were dropped off in town while the rest of us went to a palace built by a wealthy Russian family. It was occupied by the German and later the Bolsheviks after the revolution. It became state property and was never returned to the original owners, although some of the descendents were still alive in France. Some of the rooms were not as large as the Emperor’s palaces but the decorations were exceptional.

It had a complete theater—with much gilt—that seated two hundred people. There was an orchestra pit, a stage as large as the seating capacity, balcony and boxes. In the days of the Czars the upper class had everything and the peasants had nothing.

It was at this palace that a plot to kill Rasputin was carried out. There were wax figures of Rasputin and the conspirators to reenact the scene. First the poisoned his food and drink, but he didn’t die. Then he was shot and left for dead, but he crawled on his hands and knees up the steps from his murder chamber. They shot him three more times and threw him in the river. When his body was exhumed, they found water in his lungs showing that he was still alive when tossed into the water. He died by drowning. He was one tough old bird.

We next went to St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, where many of the nobles were buried with sarcophaguses over their bodies. Peter the Great, his wife and daughters, Nicholas the Second with his wife and children to name a few.

On the grounds at a statue of Peter the Great I became separated from the group. By the time I was found I was soaking wet from a downpour.

In the evening we were driven to the ballet. The dancers were graceful. The men more athletic and the women more like floating clouds. Bill and his wife, Betty, were with us at the ballet. He was a retired British navy man. He did 39 years of service from the age of 15. After saying goodnight to my fellow travelers I went to my cabin to pack.

August 5, 1998, Wednesday

We docked in St. Petersburg and after breakfast went on a city tour. The tour wasn’t much of a success because it was raining and the bus windows were foggy. The guide was having trouble with her PA system, so we had trouble hearing her.

However, after the city tour we went to the Pushkin Palace, the palace of Catherine the Great. It was an awe-inspiring building of many rooms. The Germans occupied it during the war years and left it in shambles. The left bombs in the building when they left, but these were found and defused. Many of the rooms have been restored to their original elegance and splendor. The main hallway glittered with gold leaf and mirrors. It was large enough to play football in it. The ceilings had elaborate murals and there were many priceless paintings on the walls. One room had the entire walls covered with paintings set in thin gold frames. All the floors were parquet with different colored wood fitted together in intrinsic designs. It must have taken craftsmen much labor to fit the many pieces together.

We were taken to a theater where Russian dancing was done. The performance by two dozen young dancers—half men, half women—was excellent with much vigor and grace. During the intermission champagne and caviar on small squares of bread was served. Back on the boat in the evening we danced.