Up at 4am, my plan is to meet the train from Moscow at 5am. It is the same train we arrived on two days ago. It is right on time. I go to car #10 and see the very same conductress helping her passengeers off the train. When she was free, I asked if she knew anything about the camera. She convinced me that she knew nothing about its disappearance. She had found a pair of running shoes that Betty had inadvertently left in the compartment. I thanked her and departed even more convinced that the camera had been stolen rather than lost. The morning was cold but clear, I walked back to the hotel. Betty- The morning we arrived in Moscow, Chuck helped unload much of the luggage of our group. He remembers putting his coat, camera and backpack on the bunk. It would have been easy for someone to have come from a different car, see the camera and snatch it.
This is our last full day in St. Petersburg, actually, the last day of our trip. We visit the Hermitage Museum. The third largest art museum in the world (behind the Louvre and the Metropolitan). It has over 3 million art treasures. Ourtourguide said it would take over 6 years to see everything, of course, much of it is in storage. They had lots of originals from all over the world: Monet’s, Picasso’s, Van Gogh’s, Renior’s, Rembrandt’s and on and on. The guide said many of the collections were donated by wealthy Russian noblemen. Later, we had hints that these donors had an offer they couldn’t refuse; donation or confiscation.
The old portion of the Hermitage was the Winter Palace. Much has been added. The Hermitage was commissioned by Elizabeth I, but she died 3 months before it was finished. Catherine was the first to live there.
We said goodbye to Pauline and she left. Again, by the time our visit was over we felt as if she was part of our group.
The plan was that we could spend as much time as we wanted in the Hermitage then make it back to the hotel on our own. After another hour or so, Betty and I caught a taxi back, Fran headed for a couple of shops she wanted to revisit and Charlotte had split off hours ago to meet a friend, Olga, who lives in St. Petersburg. Somehow, the Johnson brothers and their wives disappeared without me being aware of it.
Back at the hotel Betty linked up with Charlotte and Olga. The three of them had met 3 years ago when the cruise ship Betty and Charlotte were on visited St. Petersburg. Olga will be immigrating to Canada and has been in contact with Charlotte for several years.
In the early evening at the hotel bar we all gathered to toast our last evening together. The group surprised Betty with two colorful and beautifully carved statues of Saint Nicholas as a token of their appreciation for arranging the entire 6 week trip. We had dinner at the hotel and went to our rooms to pack and get a few hours sleep before a very early pick up to go to the airport.
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Today is the last day in St. Petersburg, AND it is the last day of our trip. It is difficult for me to think in terms of being at the end of the trip. It has been such a continuing series of encounters and events and wonders I feel like going back to LeRoy will feel almost as odd as starting out on this trip did six weeks ago.
Today we go to the Hermitage. The third largest collection of the world’s art. It is hard to describe such a thing. It can’t really be described, just as it can’t really be absorbed in the short amount of time we have to devote to it. There is a collection of paintings of the Romanovs as they were the ones who “organized” the core of the collection. There are the Dutch masters, Van Gogh, Picasso, Paul Gaugan, and on, and on. There were two paintings by Da Vinci, and a sculpture by Michealangelo, and it is just hard to absorb all this work in the few minutes we get to see each piece – oh, yeah, I already wrote that.
Our group said good-bye to our guide, Pauline, then after lingering a while longer in the museum, we went our separate ways to finish up what we needed to do to be ready to end our trip. I headed back to a souvenir shop to look at a couple of things, hooked up with the Johnsons and Johnsons and returned to the hotel late in the afternoon. I ran into Betty and Chuck, and in a short time we all assembled in the bar where we made an effort to thank Betty for all the work we knew she had put into this fabulous trip. There really are no words to thank someone for the opportunity to see and experience all the things we did on this marvelous, exotic trip. It gave substance to so many books I have read, classes I’ve taken and taught, and it not only has provided great memories of the places and people I’ve met and traveled with, but it has also challenged me to go out and learn more about them. Thanks again, Betty AND Chuck!! -Fran