Living in London

Today, a bit weary, we rose early to take a small shore excursion (15 people) to the Hermitage. I don't know what we were expecting but it was SPECTACULAR and worth every moment of lost sleep. From Rembrandt, Da Vinci, and a sculpture by Michelangelo, to Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet, every room had at least one famous work that we recognised, and the stories of the Russian royalty were amazing to hear.

The Hermitage is the most impressive collection of art work we have ever seen, but is housed in a 300-year-old palace that does not offer the best conditions. Lighting is terrible, many paintings are covered with some type of glass that reflects glare, and there is no climate control whatsoever with regular windows that open to the streets (and pollution) outside. The rewarding part of the conditions is that you can walk right up to most of these art works and examine them in detail.

En route to all the beautiful places we have seen the real "people's" St Petersburg. Communism and collective ownership resulted in 75 years of deferred maintenance, and most buildings that are not palaces or tourist attractions are crumbling. The apartment buildings, automobiles, and general demeanour of those average Russians walking down the streets appear to be very run down.

On a hopeful note, there is an enormous amount of restoration work underway in St Petersburg, and we hope that when we visit next the Russian people are more sure of their own important place in history.