26-AUG—How I got arrested in Russia

Leningrad (a.k.a. St. Petersburg)

[Lots and lots of pics today!!]
Theresa note - Bill did NOT get Arrested...

Today we arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Recall in 2009 when our flight was cancelled and we disembarked, and they stamped “Void” on our visa?  It wasn’t that.  When we stayed in the hotel that last night under a fake name?  It wasn’t that either.  We’ll come back to this. 

Of course, it was “typical” weather, which is to say overcast, cool, and rainy.  The tug down the Neva River was anything but pretty.  Industrial docks, industrial housing, a Nuclear Power Station, decrepit buildings, and heaps and heaps of trash says “Welcome!” 

Nuclear power station. (Not Chernoble!)

The "Not so lovely" view coming into the city center.

The much nicer view when we got into port.

We got off the ship and headed to Immigration, where they scrutinize the name on your passport, day visa, tour ticket, and ship card.  And also the photo.  It seems my beard which was grown after my passport photo was NOT appreciated.  As we disembarked, I got 3-4 squinting looks, as though she wasn’t sure if I was REALLY the guy in the passport photo.  Anyway, we got through.

That's a big bid bath!!

A short bus ride, and we were at the Hermitage, or the “Winter Palace”.  This was where the Czars went for solitude and alone, hence the name “hermit”.  But, they could not be in solitude without their fantastic art, so they added rooms to contain the art they collected.  Eventually, the Czars were overthrown and the wealth of the museum became State property.  Anyway, we stood out in the rain until it was our turn to go inside.  We had “Early” tickets, so we got in about 9:20, when the standard opening time is 10:30.  If you ever go…pay the money for the “Early”!  It became horribly crowded after 10:30! 

Ready to go into the Hermitage!

The grand entrance!

The grand entrance!

The GRAND Entrance!!

The throne room (the first of two).

Our tour guide took us through several rooms in multiple buildings of the Hermitage, and pointed out various key pieces.  The paintings were amazing!  The sculptures were incredible!  Even the rooms were art, with dramatic works on the walls, ceilings, even doors and floors!  Each room was incredible to walk in to and behold.  Of course, as the throngs of people crowded in, it became much more difficult to get around, see what she was describing, and it also got very warm.  But, I guess those are first world problems. 

One of MANY amazing rooms!

Gold pillar (detail).

A peek outside through the windows.  It was rainy!

The Hall of Generals, with a picture of almost all Generals (before modern times).
Some could not be painted because they were killed in battle.  Notice
the blank one on the left, second row, for instance.

The Second Throne Room.

Fixed recline = Comfort and reliability!

Another amazing room with a ridiculous clock (in the gold case).

This reminds me of Escher.

A peek into the garden...still raining!

The stairs are shallow so ladies in huge gowns do not trip or fall.

Very ornate wall/room.

Check out the base of the column!!

It's just room after room after room...

After room after room...

Even the hallways are ornate!

The ceilings are ornate!

So much art, so little space!

Some were bored to stone!!

Some were passionate about the place!

Some, just paused to reflect!

The rest of us walked and walked and walked!!

Except Jupiter, who took a seat.

This is a single piece of jasper, and they built the room around it!

When we left, the line to get in the tour entrance was ridiculous!!  And still raining.

A look back before leaving the Winter Palace, and Hermitage.

Same or not same?? 

We came back to the ship, and had to go through the FSB again (call it Immigration or whatever you like, but the patch on their shirts said “ФСБ” (which is Russian for FSB)).  Well, she REALLY did not like my beard.  She looked at me and grimaced.  Then she said something in Russian (I have no idea what) and the tone was NOT happy.  She looked up at me at least three more times, then stood up and looked at my passport and face about 2-3 times.  Then told me to back up (it was a 2.5 foot wide corridor, so I backed up 6 inches), and she glowered at me some more.  Finally she sat down and started banging stamps on things, and chucked my passport back up on the counter without a word or a look.  OK, so I wasn’t exactly taken into custody, but I was held up, and “arrested” really just means stopped.

Curiously, he was NOT here BEFORE my run in with the FSB!!

The view from the ship.

Part of Catherine's Palace

After some down time in the afternoon, we headed back out for our evening visit to Catherine’s Palace.  In a word…WOW!!  First, we blazed through FSB like nothing was wrong.  We took a bus to Pushkin.  The area that has the summer palaces used to be named for the Czars.  But after the revolution, that wasn’t cool.  However, Alexander Pushkin was a writer and a poet and very popular in Russian culture.  And he circulated in revolutionary crowds, so even though he was long dead before the revolution, they preferred to name the area for him. 

A coronation carriage.

Anyway, we first went to the Carriage Museum, where many of the Czars and royalty carriages were.  It was nice, but small.  And we really did not get much from the tour guide. 

The carriage Alexander II was assassinated in, with a bomb.

Opening the doors to welcome us in!!

We headed to Catherine’s Palace, and it was a first rate show…mostly.  We stood outside and they opened the gates in a grand style, while musicians played for us.  We walked up the driveway like celebrated guests (without transportation), and took in the scenery.  Then we entered the palace.  First we walked through a series of fantastic rooms, including the Amber Room.  Although photography is USUALLY not permitted in that room, seemingly we were allowed (or were told so).  Eventually, we got to the grand ball room, purportedly the largest ball room in the world, and a stringed quartet played for us, as flutes of champagne were passed out.  Then, a trumpet guard announced the arrival of “Czarina Catherine” and her consort.  A couple came in to dance for us, and put on a lavish show.  It was really quite an experience!!

Catherine's Palace grounds.

Welcome...but with caution!

The entrance to Catherine's Palace was a bit simpler than the Hermitage.

Another guy looking at himself in the mirror!!

How do they fit all those paintings?  It's Tetris!!

The Amber Room, covered in Amber!

We're getting good at selfies with a normal camera!

The picture is made with precious gemstones.

More Rooms!!

It was neat to have him playing the harpsichord (?).

Not where we had dinner!

The largest ballroom in the world...just for us!

Cheers to us!  A camera, a mirror, and champagne!

"Catherine" arrives.

And speaks...

A couple danced for us (or well, for "Catherine").

Time to go!

Not often the glass setting includes a shot glass!!

We left the palace and headed to a restaurant (or a “pectopah” as the word looks to us), and we were seated and had a salad (yay.) and an appetizer.  Then a group came in to perform traditional Russian music, singing, and dancing for us.  They did a great job and involved the group a little.  After the main course, they came back. 

The Russian entertainment.

We got back to the ship (no problems with FSB!) and found a surprise snack in our room (they knew we would be getting in late, so gave us sandwiches and cookies!).  It was a nice way to cap off the …well, morning, since it was after midnight!

Good Night!