DaVinci

The Hermitage was quite crowded, the galleries were packed, and our guide told us we would be going to see the DaVincis. I feared the worst, a slow line to be packed in an not able to really see the works. I was wrong, magically and wonderfully wrong.

The lines moved smoothly but without pressure, we saw the DaVincis and so many other works clearly and were able to take the photographs we wanted. In some ways every art museum grabs your heart for various reasons, and one is usually seeing some of the works of a favorite artist. In Chicago, I always go out of my way to see the Hopper (NIGHTHAWKS), the Seurat, and as many Picassos as I can find. In the Hermitage, I saw many great masters, but I still find it hard to believe I was two feet from two DaVincis. A wonderful moment.

As we left the Hermitage, we were exhausted and drained after two days in St. Petersburg. We would have only the one night to get some sleep before arriving in Helsinki. The results will be in the next post.

Romanov Throne

Coming from Chicago, I have been blessed with the great good fortune to have a world-class art museum available to me at all times. I have been smart enough to take advantage of that location and I somtimes rue the fact that I have not done so often enough.

At any rate, one of the things interesting about the Art Institute of Chicago is the building itself. In St. Petersburg, the world-famed Hermitage is also as much a work of art as the collection. One image of the lacey-look ceiling backs up that claim.

Another interesting thing about the AIC is their collection of armor and medieval weaponry. Filling a transitional gallery that most patrons go through, many people wonder about such items being in an art museum. But of course they belong. And in the Hermitage, there is a large throne room featuring a throne of the Romanovs. Also clearly a work of art, but not necessarily what art patrons usually expect to see.

Some paintings from the Hermitage collection in the next post.

Russian Weddings

Both Friday and Saturday, we encountered several wedding parties at the Imperial Palaces, all looking for great wedding party photographs. It turns out that young Russians will marry almost any day of the week in July and August, just to give them the best chance to have great weather.

After seeing several groups, I noticed this couple walking away from Catherine's Palace toward the gardens. How often does a couple have a photo with their photographer? As they turned to head for the backdrop they were planning to use, the light hit them so perfectly I had to take a couple more. Never having shot a wedding, I felt pretty happy with the result.

Lunch followed, then a bus trip to the Hermitage, one of the great art museums of the world. Look in on the next post to see some images.

Crown Molding

One more shot from the interior of Catherine's palace would be the excellent crown molding in one of the decorated dining rooms. Between strips of gilt-covered shaped molding, probably of wood or plaster, a painted strip. Amidst the overkill mentioned in prior posts, it looked classy and attractive to me.

Stepping outside into a bright sunny Saturday morning, another view of the exterior of the palace. While the grounds do not feature anywhere nearly the fountains of Peterhof, there are some interesting sights to see in the next post or two.

Dining Rooms

The various rooms set up to show the tables as set for dining parties were again sumptuous. By this point, the gilt color did not add to the beauty of the scene, but the tables were well set and attractive.

In particular, the Christmas table was festive and classy. I guess the dark green balanced the dominant color well!

Delft

As I left the gold room, I could not resist the chance to use the giant mirror next to the exit door for a Gold-Room Self-Portrait.

As we moved on, we entered a series of dining rooms and drawing rooms, each one dominated by a Delft stove. The giant wood-burning stoves were specially made and ordered to be shipped in at great cost to add to the gilt in impressing people. I knew of Delft as pottery, interesting and beautiful but on a much smaller scale.

When the guide gave the background to the stoves, it sounded remarkable. The stoves were made without doors, no way to put the wood into the stove or burn it. The stoves are giant counterfeits. I need say no more, as I wrote about it in the semi-dark of that evening White Night. The poem I wrote:

DELFT

Catherine the Great, perhaps self-nicknamed so long ago, filled palaces
With collections of various artworks, sculpture, tapestries: everything
She apparently fancied. As gilted as Peterhof, her Winter Castle features
Delft stoves, hand fired in the Netherlands and shipped to her orders,
Floor-to-ceiling heating devices that are valuable collectors’ items.
Most though not all of these wood stoves were made without doors,
No way to add wood, no way to light a fire, no way to use the stove.
In a palace full of gilt, perhaps the greatest symbol of bloated excess
Might be the fanciest stoves of all, placed there just to impress.

Gilt

In both Peterhof and the Winter Palace, there are rooms that are designed to impress, and they do in one way or another. Gilt is what catches the eye, liquid gold painted onto the walls and decor, a nineteenth-century evidence of the ability to show off for other wealthy people. It is a difficult thing to enjoy, at least for me.

A poem I wrote during the evening between the two showy palaces would seem to fit here:

GILTY AS CHARGED

Taking an American through the Czar’s Peterhof Palace is a stretch.
Our bus dumps us out, an international lot with several Yanks, to the
Star Spangled Banner being well played by a trio that looked oompah.
They stroll us past a dozen tents of booksellers, toy sellers, merchants
Lining us up in the small garden to be worked by the street sellers again.
“Are these Russian Nesting Dolls made in China?” is heard over and over
Again, until the Cossack nature comes out in the form of argument.
Entry to the Palace is slow, checking coats and seeing several stores,
Then we enter to the gallery of gilt, which really should be guilt.
After the Soviet system fell, where were these new Russians left?
They honor no statues of the Soviet Empire, they hark back to the royals,
Their museums bring in dollars to see the excess that caused the problem.
Enough gilt in the hallway and ballroom to give an American a headache.
I paid my fee, I accepted my headache, gilty as charged.
Best wishes to Helen, our guide, and all Russians seeking success, freedom.

Inside the Palace

Inside the Winter Palace, as much as was the case at Peterhof, one finds awesome color everywhere. After your first entrance, you are wound through some passages until you are sent up the grand red staircase as you enter the sumptuous rooms above.

The ability to hear your guides is enhanced in some of these huge museums by the use of headphones, which allow each guest to hear his or her specific guide. As long as a person stays in range of the transmitter, there is a lot to learn and a lot to see. The next post will be in the gold, gilt room at Catherine's Winter Palace.

Second Day in Russia

It had been my thought on our first night in Russia to grab a great sunset photo or two to celebrate and demonstrate the famed White Nights. That went by the boards as the clock turned past midnight light enough to read a newspaper outdoors. No sunset pictures were taken, so we got some sleep and headed for the Winter Palace of Catherine the Great.

This stop did allow interior photos, so after we went through the ornate gates and walked by the brightly-painted exterior, we headed inside. And in coming posts, we will see many sights of a kind of beauty. But it is a tough kind of beauty to appreciate, as it is gilt-covered excess in many ways. Look in on the next post for the details.

A poem about the White Nights:

WHITE NIGHTS

Sunset does come, eventually, in summer in St. Petersburg. A big deal,
Cloud strips accenting the deep oranges and red stretching across the sky,
Starting well past ten, saying good evening to strollers in parks and on streets.
The big production sees the sun disappear around eleven, but it is not final:
At midnight one could read the newspaper outside without eye strain.
Before long, the dusky twilight allows stores to turn on their neon,
Just a touch of light in an otherwise light-enough street, until around one
When it starts working on daylight again. Sunsets are quick on deserts,
Most of which are near the Equator, but White Nights belie the darkness
Nearer the poles, with people loving it until the bill comes due in January.

Cossack Dancing

Our night out in St. Petersburg had been advertised as ethnic and folk dancing. It appeared to be a chance to see some of the things that interest Russian people, and it was. Just before the show started, one of our traveling party yawned. I asked whether the person was going to manage not to fall asleep. The the music started, the dancing began, and in five minutes time I leaned over and said, "You won't have any trouble staying awake for this!"

About as high energy as anything I have seen, this show was all a troupe of Cossack dancers who put every ounce of energy they had into each number. Nothing but fun and a real treat for all of us who came from the cruise ship. These dancers also sold souvenirs at intermission and posed for pictures before and after the performance. Worth every dollar or ruble we spent!

Mosaic Interiors

Truly awe-inspiring and breathtaking, the many mosaics inside the Church on Spilled Blood would provide beautiful wall hangings or holiday cards which could be seen in every direction. I knew, of course, that the officially-atheist Soviet Union did allow some cathedrals and churches to stand during their seven decades of power, but I hardly expected the powerful beauty that I saw in this edifice.

A lengthy visit to St. Petersburg was ending with a bus ride back to the cruise ship. But for the first time in our ten cruises, we were not weighing anchor to move on. We had an overnight at the dock and another tour the next day, which meant we were going out for the evening, with tickets for a folk dance exhibition. Pictures in the next post.

Church on Spilled Blood

In looking over the plans for our tour, the highlight of the afternoon was a famous Church which I thought was the "Church OF Spilled Blood," as I knew it was a memorial built on the site of the assassination of a Czar. But I realized later that the name was the "Church ON Spilled Blood," making that memorial all the more powerful. The exact spot of the bloodshed is marked inside the ornately beautiful cathedral.

While the colorful exterior is a dream for a photographer, the interiors are also available, in this case for the smaller $3 fee. Here we see the main dome from the inside as well as the outside view. More interior views in the next post.

Fun at the Fountains

While the photos in the previous two posts showed the vista of the main fountains at Peterhof, the grounds are filled with smaller fountains and even some fun fountains. For example, there are various 'surprise' fountains, where guests could be walking along and a sudden unlucky burst of water would spray them. Our guide gave up the secret, pointing out the small outbuilding where an operator would be watching, ready to press a button to soak a person. I did like the tiny spray from the red blossom seen here.

We were present on a Friday in July, and the grounds were crowded with tourists and with several wedding parties, out for locations for their couple pictures. Several actors and actresses were also on hand to add to the festive air. When we had enjoyed a lunch at Peterhof, we were back on the bus and ready to see something a lot more serious. That will be seen in the next post.

Fountains of Gold

Suffice it to say that the gardens of Peterhof are blessed with water, rife with fountains, and nearly breathtaking in their beauty. Many manicured gardens featuring brightly-colored flowers and shrubbery go unnoticed at times as the eye is drawn to the movement of the fountains and the ear is attracted by the sound of flowing water.

We were fortunate in the timing that started us indoors, along with everyone else, and let us out on the major crossing balcony seen in these pictures. We emerged to see a crowd of people watching quiet, inactive fountains. Just as we got prepared for it, the turn of the hour started the flow and we had seen the opening of the fountains. It was a wonderful awakening.

Peterhof

We had been warned aboard ship that in Russia, photography is permitted in many more locations than some cities, but that a permit would be required. Either a $3 or a $6 fee -- payable in American dollars -- would earn the right to take photos including flash in most locations. For no discernible reason, this was not true at Peterhof. The awesome fountains and beautiful gardens were photographable at no charge; no photos were allowed indoors.

So I looked and saw and did not photograph. The feeling was to be repeated on the next day, when photography was allowed, so I will reserve my feelings until then. Meanwhile, we will look at the wonderful fountains of Peterhof, with one example seen here, and more to come in the next post.

Not Petrograd Nor Leningrad

A short story I used to teach in high school literature said that a certain town had no name, or several names, which is the same thing. A deep thought and undoubtedly a true thought, with this interesting city a prime example. Changing from one name to another through Petrograd and Leningrad and on to St. Petersburg, this astounding chance to visit Russia was highly interesting and at time breathtakingly beautiful.

Several Churches and Cathedrals have survived the officially atheist Soviet Union, and some of them have been refurbished and renovated in this city. But the seventy years of Soviet rule are virtually unseen, unmentioned. Only one time did we see the hammer and sickle and looking closely you will see it is built in to a building. If this building is demolished or refurbished, all sign of the seven decades will be gone. With the Tsarist era preceding the Soviet era, modern Russia as seen in St. Petersburg is rootless. No Communist roots, no Tsarist roots, no past to hold to. Every country and its people should have its equivalent of Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln. I learned that to be the strength of the monarchy in the United Kingdom, of course. They have William and Henry V and Elizabeth I and so many others. What do the Russians have? I grew up hating and fearing Communism, too, so I understand that era cannot be mined for much of value. But the feeling I had of the people's intellectual and economic and patriotic rootlessness is still a shame.

A look at Peter the Great's Palace -- one of them -- in the next post.

Choral Music Festivals

We stopped on the way back to the cruise ship at a location where people flock with their blankets to sit in a grass bowl to listen to music. Interesting enough, but we have things like that in Chicago. At first look, the stage area looked a bit large but otherwise just a nice clean white sound baffle.

But the scale fools you. Look closer. Closer than that. Blow up the photo. That is a just grandstand, almost big enough for a football game. When filled with choirs, that stage will draw in gigantic audiences for all-day songfests. We have nothing like that in Chicago!

One man watches every concert and watches the empty stage on other days. A favored Estonian composer who worked with the concerts here has been memorialized with a huge statue on the hillside, where he listens to the music . . . or the silence . . . every day.

A wonderful visit, Tallinn. Just one word about the next post: Russia.

Viewpoints

Several areas of the old town are in the lower portion of town, while some are quite elevated. The viewpoints from above looking down steeply or down and across are as pretty as seeing Brigadoon on a sunny morning. The sights are so easy to enjoy, they become difficult to leave.

But we did leave, of course, and found one other section of Tallinn quite interesting. We visit there in the next post.

Blonde and Costumed

The poem in the previous post and some words in an earlier post reminded me of how friendly and nice the people were. Most of the workers in the old city shops were wearing period costumes, some working at old-time crafts such as the blacksmith seen here, some selling curio pieces that brought out that feeling of classic, old-time values.

The young lady waving to the tourist crowd and offering to rent her Segway, of course, had a more modern look and found several riders interested in the Segway!

Tall Herman & Freedom

Tall Herman, the highest of the towers, anchors one corner of the old city in Tallinn. As our tour guide mentioned some of the names, she seemed to be leading us toward Tall Herman. And she was, for a great reason.

We came through a portal into an open area, looking up at Tall Herman, as she told us of the Estonian flag: three thick bars, with blue (for the sky), black (for the earth the Estonians love to work in) and white (for hope). She told us of the day in 1991 when they took down the red hammer & sickle, actually before the time the USSR collapsed. The new flag was rung up to the cheers of hundreds, maybe thousands, standing right where we stood.

The area was quiet, she had not said what I wondered. So I asked. Yes, she was there. My first thought was that it was like hearing someone who watched Thomas Jefferson finish writing our Declaration. A wonderful moment, a holy moment, in praise of freedom.

A poem was in the offing, and here it is:

PRESENT & ACCOUNTED FOR

Our Estonian tour guide, leading us on a walk through Old Town,
Among the several towers of differing heights from Short Martha
To Tall Herman, up and down cobbled streets and past shops
Each staffed with smiling young women, blonde and costumed.
Past several churches, Russian Orthodox to Lutheran and more,
Her short-cut bright red hair making her an easy person to find
And her facts and anecdotes making her east to follow and listen for.

We rounded a corner to see the flag high atop Tall Herman;
Three broad bars with blue at top to show us the sky,
Black in the center for the soil that they love to till,
White at the base because white stands for hope.
The flag that was illegal to display when Estonia was a
Soviet Socialist Republic, where the hammer and sickle
Gold on bright red field was flown for half a century.
Until the day, as the USSR was crumbling under its own weight
When thousands of Estonians gathered right here in this spot,
Cheering and crying as the red sickle was lowered and the
Estonian flag was raised for the first time, in defiance, in a
Move for independence. Thousands were here at this spot.

And were you here, she was asked. Sometimes the shortest answer
Shows the most emotion. She looked at me, smiling, “yes.”

Steeples of Tallinn

It occurred to me as we began our tour of Tallinn that I was visiting my first SSR. One of the 'overrun countries' of the Baltic, Estonia along with Latvia and Lithuania were the three countries known to me only as the three that were dominated by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s and then fell under the domination of the Soviet Union after that. More than a half-century passed before these people earned their freedom. We will have more on that topic in the next post.

Here I must comment on the beauty and the power of the steeples of Tallinn. For a country dominated by the officially-atheist Soviet Union, these churches are remarkably beautiful, kept up well, and welcoming. The Orthodox Church seen here, along with the Lutheran Church, were able to retain their identities and become once again places where Estonians can go in peace to worship God. It all made for a wonderful Thursday visit.

Tallinn Town

As I look back on the visit to Tallinn, I remember some major points and some historic events, some of which we will mention in upcoming posts. But among the most important impressions the city made on me was that of a homey, wonderful place to live as well as to visit. Much of the Old City was bustling with tourists, of course, and most of the Estonians I met were there because of us tourists, but the feeling of comfortable homeyness was palpable.

The narrow lanes with the brightly painted buildings, the smiling people, the modern us of the old wall (I loved the bike parked in the centuries-old nook) all gave a feeling of peace and prosperity.

More of Tallinn in the next post.

On to Tallinn

After we left Stockholm, we headed to Tallinn the next morning. An intriguing stop, the capital of Estonia was more of an afterthought on this itinerary to more famous places. To the surprise of no one, the unheralded stop was a wonderful place to visit.

The Old Town is surrounded by thick walls, and today's city surrounds that wall. Several towers, square or round, are the high points of that wall. Beautiful sights are in every direction, buildings and people, and it turned out to be a tremendous day. Details included in the next post.

Absolut Fun

A few years ago, one of my favorite shows -- The Amazing Race -- stopped in Sweden at a hotel north of the Arctic Circle. The Ice Hotel is built each fall with slabs of ice cut from a nearby river and it offers a bed made of a slab of ice topped with a reindeer blanket. Guests, who usually visit for one night only, sleep in arctic-style sleeping bags. The entire hotel is made of ice, and it stays open all winter until sometime around April when the building begins to leak.

In the intervening years, Absolut has opened several Ice Bars in cities, including Stockholm and Copenhagen and London. Carving the ice from the same river, they ship the slabs in and line the walls of the bar with ice. But everything is ice, including the bar and the glasses. The Stockholm Ice Bar is at the Nordic Hotel. As you enter, they drape a heavy parka over your head with gloves attached. You get an Absolut, usually mixed with a juice so you can see the drink, and people mill about for as long as the one drink takes.

Silly fun to go out of the way for one vodka. But it was tremendous fun, and I would certainly go again.

Palace to See

While several of the Royal Palaces and Castles and Residences of Europe are quite beautiful, many have some access that is quite distant and viewed through fences. Buckingham Palace, for example, is viewed from a street plaza and surrounded by a massive fence.

In Stockholm, the building is quite easy to see, quite open to visit, and exceptionally beautiful. From the color and the decorative artwork to the ceremonial cannons and the watchful ceremonial guard, it was quite literally the most wonderful of the royal capitals on our visit.

After leaving the Royal Palace, we headed back to the ship for lunch, as we had a wonderful change of pace scheduled for the afternoon. We will belly up to the bar, so to speak, in the next post.