Category: 2019 – Baltics and Russia

Tuesday July 30, 2019  Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania

The buffet breakfast provided by the hotel is lovely and in addition we have cooked to order eggs over easy.  Navigating to the center of the old town is easy and we find the tourist information office and join the 10:00 A.M. “free” walking tour. Our tour guide sets a brisk pace as she leads 25 of us along cobblestone streets of the old town. 

Faux hot air balloons and colorful flags span several of the picturesque streets lined with boutiques, café bars, restaurants and tourist shops selling amber and linen. 

We cross the bridge into the Uzupis district, an artist community past a bend in the river.  We are greeted by a few vibrant and colorful murals but the outdoor sculptures feel dated; like something I have seen and might have been trendy in the 1980’s. I try to take into consideration that Lithuania has only been independent for 29 years and they are doing a good job of catching up after soviet rule.

Our tour ends at the main square below the castle. We talk with a quiet man from Washington D.C. and after the tour, invite him to join us for lunch at one of the local restaurants recommended by our guide. We sit in a back courtyard and try to find something on the menu appealing. We pass on the pig’s ears and the sausage ring.  Art orders a chicken kabob and I choose what I presume to be a vegetarian potato and mushroom dish. Our guide had recommended mushroom dishes as a specialty but my plate arrives mixed with tiny pieces of ham and what I surmise to be canned mushrooms. I pick at my food but enjoy the Lithuania beer immensely. We are slightly jet lagged and return to our hotel for an afternoon nap.

Wanting to cycle into Lithuanian time, we force ourselves to get up at 5:00 P.M. and set out to explore the city again. Our hotel is at the edge of the old town and everything is within walking distance. We wander past baroque cathedrals and decorative old world facades and end up back in the main square as the sun is setting. 

Young men are skateboarding on the plaza which delights me and makes me a bit nostalgic. When traveling with John, he would sometimes bring his skateboard and join in which was always a good ice breaker. The sun casts a rosy glow on a castle above the plaza.  We eat dinner at a touristy restaurant where we can try cold beet soup and we can sample the local potato dumplings stuffed with various fillings. We share a roast duck plate and have entirely too much food. The beet soup is tasty and not overly laden with cream but the potato dumplings are heavy and one is supposed to pour a sour cream and meat sauce over them. We share one and imagine our arteries hardening.

We circle farther afield taking new streets on our return to our hotel. I would like an after dinner drink but we see only beer drinking establishments. When we come to a trendy and intimate cocktail bar, I suggest we go in for a nightcap. We sit at the bar and peruse the many pages of Mixology’s cocktail menu.  We are underdressed and that the patrons are all half our age but the handsome tattooed bar tender is gracious and speaks fluent English. He serves us beautifully prepared cocktails and during a lull, talks for some time with us about his life in Vilnius. We are tempted to order a second round simply to enjoy further conversation but decide to spare him and walk the many blocks back to our hotel.

Vilnius bus terminal

Square across from our new hotel

The countryside is lush and I am surprised by the surrounding woodland forests. We arrive in Trakai and walk the two kilometers along the peninsula towards the castle. The peninsula is surrounded by lakes and historic wooden houses, painted in Easter egg colors, line both sides of the street. It is a lake resort area with many quaint bed and breakfast accommodations and overall too bucolic for my tastes. 

Trakai Peninsula

Window

Trakai house

Wooden Trakai house

Along the way, we visit a small uninspired museum and eventually arrive at the bridge to the restored castle. Before crossing to the castle we hurriedly choose a café for lunch and once again find ourselves facing a heavily meat laden menu. We share a Greek salad which is fresh and undressed. Art orders two stuffed pastry pies and for lack of other options, I choose the potato pancakes. Two thick and greasy pancakes arrive accompanied by a mound of sour cream. I eat one and push the plate aside. Art picks the filling out of his pasty pies. Disappointed, we pay the bill and walk the bridge to the castle as clouds roll in and rain threatens. 

Art surveying the Trakai Castle mote

Marty crossing the Trakai Castle bridge

Drawbridge to Trakai Castle

Trakai Castle courtyard

Trakai Castle courtyard

The castle has been fully and overly restored. It feels like we are entering Disneyland instead of an historic site. I try to get past the artificial feel as we wander the many rooms curetted with historic treasures. It is not a great collection but there are a few  intricately carved bone pipes that are as detailed and intriguing as Japanese netsuke’s.

Vaulted ceiling, Trakai Castle

Detail of porcelain

Castle room filled with taxidermied animals

Bear skin rug

Bone pipe carving

Bistro dinner in Vilnius, Lithuania

Cold beet soup and warming shots of liquor

A shot of a local liquor

Thursday, August 1, 2019 – Vilnius; The Cousins Meet.

We might have left Vilnius this morning had Art not been able to set up a lunch date with his distant cousin, Lina. Before meeting, we take an Uber to the KGB museum. The museum is understandably depressing but the bleak Soviet Era building is actually the past headquarters of the KGB and the prison cells and killing chambers are in the basement. The horrors of war, the strange lighting and lack of air conditioning leave me dizzy and feeling slightly nauseated.

Shortly after noon, we begin to make our way across town to meet with Lina at a stylish Peruvian restaurant that is close to her work. Lina is blond and pretty and in her mid thirties and looks nothing like Art with his half Okinawan lineage but they share a great-great Grandfather. We order the prix fix lunch menu and after several days of meat and grease laden food, I am thrilled to see a sashimi poke appetizer and a tuna steak on the menu. We visit for nearly two hours but Lina must return to work and Art and I, still not completely cycled into Lithuanian time, return to our hotel for our afternoon siesta.

Tonight is our final night in Vilnius and we spend time wandering the Old Town before being lured into a cafe by a chanterelle and potato appetizer. We sit at street side bistro tables, sip our drinks, people watch and share the mushroom and potato dish (with pieces of ham mixed in.) There was no mention of meat in the description of the dish and I am beginning to think “vegetarian” is not in the Lithuanian dictionary.

Marty at a Vilnius cafe

Art enjoying is favorite drink, Aperol Spritz

Chanterelle and potato appetizer

Our intention is to make our final evening an old town “tapas” dinner and we continue our stroll until a fine clear voice accompanied by soft guitar pulls us into a wine bar. The intimate bistro is packed but there are two seats in a far corner. A dark haired woman beckons us to sit at her table. We order drinks and enjoy the music. At intermission, our new friend, Mira, tells us that the vocalist is from Russia and the guitarist from Chile. She tells us that this is a private party but that two guests didn’t come and so there is room and we are welcome. 

She tells us that there are some famous artists and fashion designers here and once again, I realize how underdressed Art and I are. Mira is casually dressed as well and she points to a paint smudge on her arm and tells me that she is an artist and that her studio is very close by. She invites Art and me to visit her studio after the performance and we accept.

Friday August 2, 2019 – The Bus between Vilnius and Riga, Latvia.

We enjoy a relaxing morning in Vilnius sitting at an Old Town café and writing. We take a final stroll through the narrow back streets window shopping but most of the shops do not open until 11:00 A.M. and we have an 11:30 A.M. bus to catch to Riga, Latvia. 

Our second hotel is not far from the bus station and we walk ten minutes rolling our suitcases. We have reserved business class seats and each seat has its own entertainment T.V. screen.  The bus departs at 11:30 A.M. for the 4 ½ hour trip to Riga. Art watches movies and I write the entire trip.

We arrive at the bus terminal in Riga just past 4:00 P.M. Art discovers that Uber and Lyft do not exist in Latvia so we take a 10 Euro taxi to the Elizabeth Hotel. 

Art booked the hotel online last night and our “reception” is a bit odd, the hotel shabby and it’s farther from the old town than we expected. Art rings the bell to the hotel and after a minute listening to a crackling intercom, an older, pear shaped, gray haired woman opens the door. Her English is minimal and our Latvian non-existent. Before ushering us inside, she mimes a demonstration of how to open the door with a hard pull after first entering our room number on the outside key pad.  Art practices the hard pull several times until she is satisfied and allows us to enter.  She plumps herself behind a low desk in what feels more like a living room than a hotel lobby.  Art gives her our names and she shuffles reservation papers all the time wobbling her head which to me, indicates a problem.  She repeatedly mutters “two nights,” and runs her fingers across an old school reservation room log. She scrolls the log, shuffles papers and wobbles her head for over 5 minutes before coming to the decision that room #7 will be ours. I wonder if her wobbly head is a medical issue. There is no elevator and although we are only on the second floor the worn and narrow wooden spiral staircase looks challenging.  Art grabs both suitcases and makes the ascent. The room is clean and the bathroom small and modern but the décor is awful. The shades on the bedside lamps are patterned a bold orange and black and the wooden venetian blinds are saggy and broken. Art is less than happy for the $100 a night that we were charged but we shrug it off and within minutes are back downstairs and hoofing it across an expansive and beautiful park towards the Riga’s Old Town.  A river winds through the park, flowers are in bloom and the afternoon is crisp and sunny. This is a lovely time of year to visit the Baltic’s.

It is 5:30 when we arrive at the Old Town and we must find the tourist office minutes before it closes at 6:00 P.M.  Although not well marked, it’s on the main cobble stone street and we ask the board looking agent the usual touristy questions and pick up city maps and schedules for tomorrows free walking tours.

Riga is almost too picturesque and the cobblestone streets are swarming with tourists. With city map in hand we join the throngs, many with cameras pointed upward at the old cities rooftops, cathedral spires and churches.  I want to inhale the quaint city but the cobblestones are uneven and I am careful to devote equal time to watching where I step as ogling the surrounding sights.  The outdoor cafes and restaurants are spilling over with tourists enjoying a meal or a drink on this beautiful evening. 

Art and I set off exploring, intent on finding an off the beaten track bistro where we can enjoy a drink and dinner.   After much wandering and looking at menus we find a quiet back street restaurant. 

The evening has become cool and we choose to sit inside where we enjoy a surprisingly lovely meal.  Art orders seafood pasta and I choose a beet salad with roasted chicken. Shortly after we order, a German couple is seated at an adjoining table and we overhear the man’s comment; “this restaurant was recommended to me by a friend.”  We are lucky in our choice tonight.  

Saturday, August 3, 2019  – Riga Old City Waling Tour and the Case of the Missing Grand Marnier

Yesterday, the wobbly headed receptionist at our quirky hotel informed us that breakfast was not included at the room price that we had paid and with a dismissive wave of her frail arm indicated that there were many café’s where we could get an early bite to eat. At least this is the translation that Art and I “heard” when we checked in.  At 7:30 A.M. we set out to find one of these cafes but the signs on the closed cafe doors indicate that they open at 9:00 A.M. We come to an upscale hotel a block away and I suggest we go in and that surly, we can buy breakfast there? 

Indeed we can buy breakfast and for only 10 Euros each which is about $22 U.S. It’s not much by our standards but about twice what we might pay at a local café. The dining room opens at 8:00 A.M. and we descend to the lower dining area with a dozen more fortunate hotel guests. The buffet is wonderful and except for feeling like imposters, we enjoy the all inclusive array. Lox, pickled herring, cold cuts and cheeses of every type imaginable along with a variety of breads, croissants and pastries are on one long table.  Across the longest wall is a lovely fresh fruit and salad bar and a variety covered warming dishes containing cheese blintzes, crepes, bacon, sausage, potato pancakes and fried potatoes.  Stations in an alcove have self serve cappuccino and coffee machines, drinks and fresh juices. As we leave, Art inquires about the rates for the hotel should we wish to stay and extra night in Riga?  We expect the rates to be high but the receptionist checks his computer and informs us that a double room including breakfast would be 70 Euros including breakfast. Art grimaces and we return to our shabby hotel.

We walk quickly across the park into the old town arriving at the meeting point in front of the Saint Peter’s Church just in time for the 10:00 A.M. Old Town walking tour. Three guides split up 150 tourists and we follow a young, handsome and articulate “Leonardo DiCaprio,” down the cobble stone streets of Riga. His two hour crash course in Latvian history and architecture is both informative and amusing. 

We need to leave Riga tomorrow morning by bus and go to Tallinn Estonia.  We walk the short distance to the station and buy two senior tickets for 16 Euros each; so reasonable for a 4 ½ hour trip. Business class is sold out so we choose seats at the back of the bus, second level. The bus station is beside the central market, recommended in our guide book and we wander the stalls of vegetables and fresh flowers and cheaply made clothing. Three huge bunker shaped warehouses have permanent refrigerated shops offering every possible cut of meat, fish, cheese product and baked good. Inside one of these are a variety of restaurants, bars and shared tables. It’s basically a giant gourmet food court.  Art and I separate to choose our meals, find each other and eat enjoying the people watching as much as the food. 

Art wants a haircut so we return to the old town where he gets a trim from a stylish tattooed barber. Art is less than pleased with the results, wanting more taken off, but I assure him that he looks more handsome than ever. 

We spend the afternoon poking into the Decorative Arts Museum and a temporary exhibit of Art Nouveau. Neither is inspiring and with tired feet, we navigate our way back to the street where we had dinner last night; choosing a different café for late afternoon drinks. 

Art seems to genuinely enjoy figuring out public transportation and I have learned to accept this. Often unexpected adventures unfold because of this. Art leads the way to a trolley stop, showing me where we are and where this line will take us. The trolley is on time and our tap cards work beautifully. The tracks take us around the other side of the park and along the water. Although our hotel is just two blocks away, there is a row of waterside restaurants in the opposite direction. We choose to cross over to the waterside and investigate our dining options. The first and second restaurants are possibilities and we intend to walk the entire strip of eateries before making our choice, but the 50 plus motorcycles in the parking lot just beyond along with the boisterous partying of many young men, if not intimidating, are a deterrent and we return to the Napoli Restaurant for drinks and dinner. Dinner is excellent and the parade of young women wearing stiletto heels is especially entertaining for Art. 

Grand Marnier is on the menu and I order one as an after dinner aperitif. The waiter looks at me blankly and Art points to the listing on the menu. Our waiter checks at the bar and returns to tell us that they don’t have Grand Marnier but they do have Cointreau. I tell him that Cointreau will be fine and two glasses arrive, one with the liquor and one with ice and tongs. On a stroll earlier, we noticed that a large liquor warehouse adjoins the parking area of these waterfront restaurants. Art and I watch with amusement when minutes later a young busboy jogs through the front door carrying a bottle of Grand Marnier. The next American who orders Grand Marnier will not be disappointed. 

Art wakes and checks his I Phone and our morning begins with news of a mass shooting in El Paso Texas. A week ago today, there was a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, an event that I have attended for nearly 40 years. I did not attend this year because of a scheduling conflict and instead of experiencing horror I am traveling in the Baltic’s and writing this travel blog.

We walk the two blocks from our shabby overpriced Hotel Elizabeth to the elegant hotel where we wish we were staying and indulge in another of their wonderful buffet breakfasts. We pay our 20 Euro breakfast bill and leave with intentions to return to our hotel and take the trolley straight to the bus station where we will spend an hour wandering the old town. Instead we bump into a hoard of tourists all following guides like lemmings and looking upward. Busloads of tourists with guides all speaking different languages are funneling down the side street of our hotel. Curious we follow and realize that we are in the heart of Riga’s Art Nouveau district. The facades of the buildings backing our hotel are all Art Nouveau masterpieces and we are both giddy with delight and dismayed that we might have missed a highlight of Riga that was right under our noses.

Tours in the Art Nouveau district

Ornate facade detail

Dragon door guardians in Riga’s Art Nouveau district

Detail of lion facade

Remarkable griffin and grill work

We piggyback on the English speaking tour and are delighted by the ornate facades, whimsical turrets and elegant architecture. We marvel at fabulous bas reliefs of griffins and whimsical dragons, owls and green men. The tours disperse and we retrace the path only to see another flood of tour busses regurgitating more tourists into this Riga Art Nouveau district.

Gorgeous Griffin Basrelief

Sphynx Guardian

Art Nouveau style doorway

Owl motif

Greenman motif

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Amsterdam style Art Nouveau facade

Facade detail #11

Returning to the hotel, we pack quickly and roll our suitcases to the trolley stop. Within minutes we are deposited close to the bus station and roll our luggage over cobblestones and into the central market where we buy a few provisions for our 4 ½ hour bus trip to Tallinn, Estonia. 20 minutes to boarding we fall in line to show our passports, tickets and to stow our luggage. Our seats are at the very back of the bus topside but we have an extra 10” of leg room than the other rows. Although not quite as luxurious as the Lux business class line, each seat has its own entertainment screen. Art settles in and watches two movies and I spend the travel time writing this blog.

We buy bus snacks at the adjacent food market

The Riga bus terminal

A canal divides the food market from the bus terminal

Our bus to Tallinn Estonia

We make one 5 minute stop half way into the trip. Although there is a bathroom onboard, I choose to use the terminal restroom. I am quick about it but when I exit the bathroom, Art is panicked that the bus is leaving and we dash the 100 meters to our bus that departs 15 seconds after we are onboard.

We arrive in Tallinn at 4:30 and Art spends a few minutes on his phone getting us oriented.  He calls for an Uber and we are soon dropped off at the Kreutzwald Hotel. Although on the outskirts of Old Town, the hotel is lovely and our room is large and luxurious. We are given a voucher for a bottle of sparkling wine because we booked directly with the hotel. We take a few minutes to settle in and to check e-mail and Art tells me that there has been a second shooting today in Dayton Ohio. We watch the unfolding news on his phone. We are still reeling from the Garlic Festival shooting a week ago, the El Paso shooting this morning and now it’s Dayton Ohio.

The walk from our hotel to Old Town Tallinn is 20 minutes. Tallinn is another almost too picturesque to be real type of town. 

The less touristy upper end of Tallinn Old City

Tallinn back street

We locate the four star My City Hotel that we will move to tomorrow for our Rick Steve’s tour. It is 6:30 P.M. on a Sunday night and the town is relatively quiet and seemingly free of tourists. We want to sit for a drink and we wander downhill along quiet cobblestone streets towards the heart of the Old City and there they all are!  The sidewalk cafes are overflowing with tourists and I feel as if I have stepped into a Renaissance Festival. Waiters at several of the outdoor patios are dressed in medieval tunics and we step into a gift shop and are greeted by a women also wearing medieval clothing. She greets us in the “lilting” voice that we use at the Renaissance festivals and tells us that everything is handmade in Estonia. Candles flicker and the shop smells of a mixture of spices, leather and candle wax. There are shelves of leather shoes, all with turned up toes suitable for court jesters and medieval dresses hang from the roughly hewn beams. Rustic mugs and hand blown glasses, pewter jewelry, candles and animal skins are all for sale. We leave and take a few steps along the street when a darling young man, dressed in tunic and turned up toed shoes approaches us with a menu in hand. He asks us where we are from and tells us that we are the first Americans today who are not visiting from a cruise ship. I cannot be rude and listen to his spiel about the fine meaty fare that awaits us should we step inside his fine establishment. He suggests that we could dine on bear, wild boar or roasted duck, meats suitable for the upper class only and not for the peasant. For a moment he is taken aback when we tell him we are not looking for meat and he quickly regroups and points out vegetarian options. I dare not tell him that if I ate bear, I might not be able to show my face in California ever again.

Throngs of tourists in Old City Tallinn

A Medieval Restaurant

The Olde Hamsa where you can dine on bear?

Back door of Olde Hamsa

We head back to the upper edge of the old town where there are fewer tourists and enter a stylish restaurant without bear meat and costumed greeters. They are fully booked until 9:00 P.M. and we leave disappointed. Art questions if we are turned away because of how we were dressed but just then another younger and stylish couple enter and are turned away as well. We head down the narrowest of cobblestone streets to a more casual restaurant.

Pasta and beet salad

A back street bistro is our choice for dinner tonight.

Art is not thrilled with my choice but we choose a table in a back dining room. The patrons are mostly young and hipster looking. Once our wine and cider are delivered, Art relaxes and our dinners are excellent. We share a beet salad and Art orders the grilled halibut with mashed peas and potatoes. I order the pancetta pasta with cream and sun-dried tomatoes. Everything is delicious. Back at our hotel, I redeem our free voucher for a bottle of sparkling wine and and we drink about half the bottle before calling it a night.

Monday, August 5, 2019 – Seaplane Harbor and the start of our Rick Steves’ Tour.

The breakfast buffet at our Kruetzwald hotel is another feast and I take the smallest servings possible of most everything. One Swedish Meatball, one dolmades, one slice of lox, one piece of fish cake. I love the healthy breakfast vegetables and take generous servings of zucchini, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and Brussels sprouts. My resolve weakens and I finish with a thin crepe spread with raspberry jam.  We need to move from this hotel to the MyCity Hotel where our tour is staying and we must find laundry service.  After gathering up our week’s worth of dirty clothes, Art sets out to the laundry and returns shortly, telling me that he entered a basement laundry and handed a dour “Soviet era” woman our bag of dirty clothes, paid her 9 Euros and either he is to come back in 3 hours or at 3:00 P.M.

At noon we take an Uber to the MyCity Hotel and our room is ready. The four star hotel is in the heart of the Old Town and our room looks out over one of the upper city squares. It is spacious and for the first time in a week, a double bed is truly a double bed and not simply two twin beds pushed together. 

Most museums are closed on Monday but the Lennusadam Seaplane Harbor is open. We take an Uber to the maritime museum and spend an interesting 3 hours. The museum is built in a renovated WWI seaplane hangar and is beautifully curated. There is a special exhibit; Sex and the Sea which curates sailors and their sweethearts love letters, every possible sexually transmitted disease and both the loneliness and glamor of a sailors life.

The highlight for me is being able to enter and explore the Lembit submarine. Jules Verne’s novel; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, has always been a favorite of mine and I am fascinated by the steam punk mechanism within the submarine.

At 5:00 P.M. we meet our Rick Steve’s travel group in the small conference room of our hotel. Our guide for the entire trip is Eszter and her assistant is Mirjam. We meet the other 23 members of our group and discuss the logistics for this evening as well as the schedule for tomorrow. There are two couples who have logged 6 and 8 Rick Steve’s tours as well as a lot of first timers. Each person introduces themselves and in a couple of sentences tells the group why they are on the tour. Eszter, our confident Hungarian guide in her forties lightens the formality by asking who in the tour is carrying the provided and “stylish” Rick Steve’s money belt? Half the group raises their hand and Eszter tells of two former unrelated guests on a tour. A much younger woman was talking to an older gentleman and is overheard saying “don’t show it to me or anyone. Put it in your pants and keep it in your pants!” I am writing this part after having had Eszter as our guide for eight marvelous days. She had a few quirky phrases that ultimately endeared her to all of us. Okey dokey and easy-peasy will now be part of my everyday vocabulary. Not only was she knowledgeable in everything historical but she was adept at herding and placating her 25 elderly “children.” Lovely Mirjam was her assistant guide from Switzerland. Mirjam spoke many languages and was learning the Rick Steves’ way of touring so that she could manage future tours on her own. One of her seemingly important tasks was to bring up rear and make sure that all of the tour ducklings kept to the flock. A few simple rules were stressed and each of us choose a buddy who was not our traveling partner. This simple and effective strategy assured that no one was left behind and we would have buddy checks throughout the day. Before signing up for the tour we all needed to sign an agreement that we were willing and able to roll our own luggage over cobblestones, climb stairs, keep pace with the group and be punctual. Eszter and Mirjam ran a tight ship and we packed a lot of good times, history and sight seeing into the eight days.

It’s a short walk through the picturesque village back to our hotel and our group disperses to find their own after dinner entertainment or to simply return to the hotel.

Couples from our group drift into the breakfast buffet an hour before our 9:00 A.M. The breakfast is another fine spread of lox and pickled herring, cold cuts and cheeses. Varieties of pastries and eggs, bacon and potatoes are also available. 

At exactly 9:00 A.M. our group meets in front of the hotel with our listening gadgets and we follow Eszter on a tour of the old town. Our route takes us along the ancient city wall and through the Old City center. 

The cruise ships haven’t arrived yet and we have the city much to ourselves but by the time we ascend to the upper part of Tallinn to the onion topped Basilica, the city is clogged with tour groups. The skyline view of cathedral spires and red tile city rooftops is picturesque and our local guides narrative is informative.

Also in the upper part of Old Tallinn is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with it’s beautiful onion domes.

We pop into an ancient apothecary. I love the signage but feel empathy for the dried toads and the parched bees. 

Today’s walking tour ends with a visit to the Vabamu Museum, an interactive museum documenting the accounts of the Estonia people during Soviet occupation. We spend 2 hours at this interesting and heartbreaking museum and when we leave, have a greater sense of what the Estonian people endured. 

We grab a terrible sandwich to tide us over before meeting Eszter at 2:10 to go to the KGB museum in Hotel Viru. Visiting the KGB museum is an optional excursion but two of our group visited yesterday and recommended it so we decide to go. For us, it proves to be a wasted 18 Euros and 2 hours of our time. The tour is little more than photos along the wall of a hotel that was where foreigners stayed during Soviet times. The majority of the rooms were bugged and we see what’s left of the spy control room within the hotel. The best part of the tour was our severe blond female guide who radiated the charm and warmth one might expect from a KGB agent. When the tour ends we escape from the Viru hotel and continue to the Kuma Art Museum.

The Kumu Art Museum is far from the city center and we catch an Uber. We see the Rick Owens and Tommy Cash exhibit. Although Art is familiar with Rick Owens’ fashion designs, I am not. It is an interesting if not attractive concept of models wearing people and the fashion pieces are human sculptures. Tommy Cash is an Estonian Rapper and photographer and choreographs the music and video performances. 

Art calls for an Uber but the wait time is nearly 20 minutes and because a taxi is already waiting at the exit of the museum, for 10 Euros, we take it to the Rotterman Quarter.  We expect to find some interesting boutiques but what we find is little more than an outdoor mall with a few restaurants and bars. It begins to sprinkle and then rains hard and we make our way back to our hotel darting between buildings and finding cover under eves and trees. We arrive back at the hotel somewhat soggy, change into dry clothes and walk the short block to the Pegasus Restaurant. 

We have 7:00 P.M. reservations and our third floor window side table looks over the street below. The cocktail I order is vodka, and a chili liquor and sweet chili mixer. It’s delicious with a sweet spicy kick and when Art takes a sip, he orders one of his own. We share a hummus; duck pate and fish pate appetizer and order baked eggplant and roasted chicken with fennel for our main course. The meal is delicious and even with two drinks each very affordable by California standards.

After another hearty breakfast at the Tallinn, MyCity Hotel, we roll our suitcases several blocks to a waiting bus. After a tour of the outskirts of Tallinn we will take the ferry to Helsinki Finland. Our first Tallinn stop is the amphitheater, the site of the Songfest, a singing event that takes place once every 5 years. 200,000 people attended this past June from all over the country. It’s hard to imagine the sloping park and amphitheater accommodating such a crowd but Eszter tells us that singing in choruses is popular throughout Estonia and that the Songfest is a wonderful event that unites the country. 

Songfest Amphitheater, Tallinn

We continue onto the grounds of the Kuma Art Museum to admire both the modern exterior architecture of the museum and the surrounding park grounds.  After strolling downhill through the park we arrive at formal French Gardens with manicured box hedges and fountains that feel like a mini Versailles.

Palace and gardens in Kadriorg Park

Our bus drops us at the Tallinn ferry building and we obediently follow our group up the very long gang plank onto the ferry. The ferry swallows dozens of semi trucks and tankers for the crossing to Helsinki. Tallinn city disappears in the distance and we sit with Alan and Sharrod for the 2 ½ hour crossing.

View of Tallinn from the Helsinki Ferry

Helsinki Port Architecture

Sibelius Monument looking up

Composer Jean Sibelius Monument

The modern architecture in Helsinki is in striking contrast to the Tallinn skyline. Eszter and Mirjam usher us to a waiting bus and we have a stop at the Sibelius Monument, an abstract pipe organ monument in honor of the composer. I’m not impressed by the exterior view but looking up into the pipes makes for an interesting photograph. 

From there we drive to the Seurasaari Open Air Museum where we have close to two hours to explore the idyllic island with authentic Finnish farm houses, churches and homes. Rough hewn log structures have been moved to this island in an effort to recreate and capture the stark living conditions of the Finnish people 100-200 years ago. The isolated farms, harsh climate and minimalistic comforts look grueling to this California gal.

Doug, Art and Allen at the Seurasaari Open Air Folk Museum

Inside the church

Farm house kitchen

Seurasaari Church

Loom and Spinning wheel

Before going to our Helsinki hotel, we stop at the Rock Church in the heart of Helsinki, a marvelous intimate church hewn deep into a granite formation in the city center. Copper, wood and the rust colors of the granite make the church architecturally striking. I observe the signs forbidding climbing upon the rocks and feel for the children and young rock-climbers because the walls seem to invite scaling.

Helsinki’s Rock Church

Detail of Rock Church

Copper roof of Rock Church

Thursday, August 8, 2019  Helsinki – Dinner with Baja friends, Erica and Bruce

Who would have imagined that the highlight of this mornings’ walking tour would be the new public library.  The three story library is spacious and as much a gathering and makers space as a library. There are innovative reading areas, private glassed in conference rooms that are available free by reservation. The fall school semester started today so the gaming rooms are fairly empty but some young people sprawl on couches twitching gaming controls in glass fronted sound proof rooms. There are glass cubical kitchens for rent where friends can gather and cook a meal together and even bring along their own wine or beer.   3-D printers and color copiers are free to use and charge only a modest supply fee for paper or kink.  Students are curled in pod like chairs while others sit outside overlooking the city and soaking in the northern sun.

Skylights to the Art Museum

Looking up Library staircase

Library seating area

Pod reading capsules

Helsinki Library reading sundeck.

After visiting a few cathedrals our tour ends at the waterfront and we have the afternoon at large in Helsinki. 

Ornate gate, Lutheran Cathedral

Neoclassical Lutheran Cathedral

A daily craft and food market spills out along the waterfront plaza. After our usual indecision over where to eat, Art and I choose a food stall serving ample plates of salmon, potatoes and stir fry vegetables.  We share the 12 Euro plate of street food and Art returns to our hotel. I spend a delicious 30 minutes alone wandering the craft stalls and purchase a hand woven table runner directly from the artist and a couple of pewter gifts.

A weaver at the Helsinki craft market

There is much to do in Helsinki but we expect to meet Erica later in the afternoon and decide to go to the Design Museum close to our hotel. The museum is somewhat of a disappointment but there is an exhibit of Song and Olin about the value of reproduced crafts that hits a core with me. My take away is that instead of looking at the duplicated souvenirs for sale as worthless, to respect and consider the dedicated crafts persons making each piece and the initial design concept required to bring a souvenir  to market.  Art does not share my enthusiasm over the exhibit. 

Master craftspersons

Videos of craftspersons creative process

Globalization

Song’s and Olin’s journey

Furniture design – Stockman department store

Lighting design

Bar stool

Friday, August 9,  2019.  The Train to Saint Petersburg Russia.

We say good bye to Helsinki and walk briskly to our train. Thirty minutes before departure, we board Allegro, the fast train that will take us between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. We sit with Brian and Kathy of Castro Valley, California. Ester, our guide passes out lunch boxes and tells us what to expect from both the Finnish and the Russian border guards. She tells us to remain in our seats and not talk or smile during the process. The train departs on the dot of 11:00 A.M. and it is not until then that Ester coaches us about how to fill out our immigration forms. We must print in all capitals and there can be no mistakes or cross outs. Even without the swaying of the train, writing this information clearly in the tiny boxes would be challenging. Brian needs three forms before he manages to complete the form correctly. I make a mistake on formatting my birthday but I correct it legibly and Ester lets me slide. Our “bento” lunch boxes have tasty pickled vegetables but the fish spread roll leaves much to be desired. There is a constant line for the bathroom and two hours into the trip and shortly before crossing into Russia, the line dwindles down to one. Our seats are close to the bathroom and I stand waiting my turn when the Russian border guards come into our train car. The unsmiling but kind female guard looks at me quizzically and  I point to my nearby seat and make a move to sit down. She indicates that I may stay where I am and wait my turn and proceeds to begin checking passports. Whoever is in the bathroom is taking a very long time and the boarder guard knocks on the door. In a few concise words she both motions and tells me to “go to car number 7 ” to use the toilet. Art scowls at me as I pass our seat and proceed to the next car. There are several passengers waiting in the toilet line of #7 so I nervously return to our car resigned to having a full bladder. My return is so quick that the same female guard looks at me questionably and I mutter that there was a line.  The bathroom line to our car is now short and she motions me to pass her and to wait for the toilet in our car. When it is my turn and I finally sit to pee, I am so anxious that it takes me a minute to relax enough to relieve myself. In an effort to hurry, I forgo washing my hands and return quickly to my seat just in time to hand over my passport and receive the coveted entry stamp. 

We arrive at the St. Petersburg train station and gather obediently on the platform until our tour has completely disembarked and all are accounted for. We follow Ester to a waiting bus, load our suitcases in its open belly and climb onboard. We drive into St Petersburg, an impressive and awe inspiring expanse of rivers, canals, bridges, palaces and churches. The elegant city is blend of Paris, Venice and Amsterdam laced together by bridges and canals. Our bus stops on the island between the left and the right bank and we have 15 minutes to stretch our legs and take photos. 

From there we go to the golden- spire Peter and Paul Cathedral. Although there are a half dozen tour buses parked outside the gates, the tours disperse in the immense courtyard and the site is surprisingly un-crowded.  I smile at a group of middle school Chinese students all dressed in bright pink and in striking contrast to the cream, yellow and gilded gold of the cathedral. 

Inside, immense crystal chandeliers hang from cherub painted domes and gilded baroque arches and doorways delinieate choirs and naves.  All our heads are craned backwards as we gawk upwards at the opulence.  After a visual sensory overload we are ushered into a tiny chapel by a half dozen priests and find seating along the walls. When the chapel door is closed, they burst into song. The acoustics are astounding and the alto voice of one man sends chills down my spine. I don’t want the a_cappella singing to ever end but when it does, one of the priests announces that we can purchase CD’s of their music recorded in this very chapel. This closing sales pitch cheapens the experience somewhat but I am seriously tempted.

The highlight of the afternoon is visiting the Church of the Spilled Blood, a Russian Orthodox Church, completed in 1907.  Parts of the exterior are covered by scaffolding, obscuring the central onion dome but the surrounding domes are colorfully and whimsically painted and tiled.

Brick and tile facade of the Church of the Spilled Blood

Church of the Spilled Blood

Wrought iron work

The interior is stunning. The walls are patterned with intricate mosaics and the tiny golden tiles shimmer with iridescence. The interior of the domes are decorated in biblical scenes and afternoon light streams through the clearstory windows. Whatever one’s faith, being inside this church is a spiritual experience. The immense and ornate alter door is embellished with icons framed by sculpted gold and silver borders. The door looks like a giant piece of cloisonné.  There is no surface left unadorned. Even the floor is intricately patterned in various colors of marble.

Church of the Spilled Blood, mosaics

Interior, Church of the Spilled Blood

Entryway, Church of the Spilled Blood

Looking up

Ornate doorway, Church of the Spilled Blood

Christ

Saint George and the Dragon

We exit the church from an opposite door and walk past the ground walls topped with gorgeous wrought iron scroll work. Artists have their paintings propped along the walls and street musicians play for rubles. I take a distant photo of the scene and one artist growls at me.

Back exterior of the church

Street musicians and sidewalk artists

Our hotel, the Putin Inn is just a block from the Hermitage Museum and faces one of Saint Petersburg’s many canals. Art and I are fortunate to have a spacious ground floor room with a sitting alcove.  Our welcome group dinner is in the hotel’s adjoining restaurant and our vodka toast is accompanied by balalaika and accordion music. Our group claps in rhythm to the spirited music and a couple of our tour members are invited onto the dance floor which adds to the gaiety. Our appetizer is a creamy potato and egg salad followed by beef Stroganoff in a mound of mashed potatoes and thin crepes with berry compote for dessert.

Welcome group dinner

Welcome to Saint Petersburg dinner

Sherrod and Craig enjoying the music

Balalaika and accordion music

Ester leads us on an after dinner walk of the district, pointing out a few good restaurants we might consider for the two nights that we will be on our own for dinner. She leaves us on the main street and we all find our own way back to the hotel.

Street musicians along the main boulevard

Mobile cafe

Nighttime view of Church of the Spilled Blood

Motorcyclists along the boulevard

The boulevard is swarming with pedestrians enjoying a relatively warm evening out and the monuments and canals are illuminated. From a canal bridge we can see the Church of the Spilled Blood illuminated in the distance.  There are numerous street musicians and we stand and listen to the music. Two bands in particular are very good and we put money in the expectant hat. This is not the Russia that I experienced in 1971.  Art has been especially anxious about visiting Russia and I see him relaxing some. We stroll and people watch for an hour before heading back to our hotel.

Saturday, August 10, 2019 – The World Class Hermitage Museum 

An elaborate buffet breakfast is served in the adjoining hotel restaurant.  The spread caters to all nationalities. I forgo the eggs, bacon and quiche and enjoy lox, tomatoes dressed with vinaigrette, lingonberry crepes and a tiny croissant.  Two cappuccinos later and fully fueled, I walk with our group towards the Hermitage Museum, founded by Catherine the Great in 1764.

Hermitage Palace square, Saint Petersburg

Cats are honored at the Hermitage

 Our tour has early entry and we are 45 minutes ahead of the main crowds. We ascend a wide staircase and pass through gilded and mirrored rooms. The interior of this Rococo palace is like a frosted wedding cake decorated in pastel colors with curvaceous sculpted moldings,  gilded friezes and crystal chandeliers. We glide across intricately patterned floors of inlaid wood and crane our necks to admire the trompe l’oeil ceiling frescos of floating cherubs.

Hermitage Palace staircase

Hermitage Palace

Inlaid wood floor

Hermitage museum hall

Mosaic floor

Decorative gilded Griffin table supports

Griffin table base

Our four hour tour is of the highlights of the museum and we try to absorb all the spender and history but it is a sensory overload. Showcases display bronzes and porcelain, jewelry and religious icons.  We spend time immersed in the Italian Renaissance and then move into the galleries of the Dutch masters. There are long halls filled with marble statues and other halls draped with tapestries.

Hallway of marble sculptures

A grande gallery room

Mary Magdalena, Titian

The Rape of Proserpina

Rembrant

Marble frieze

Snake jardinere

Muscled victor with snake

After three hours in the main Hermitage Palace we cross the Palace square to the annex building that house the Impressionistic collection. We have a short break at the museum café and eat two small salads before exploring the galleries. We easily identify the various styles of the many impressionists and viewing these paintings is like visiting with old friends but there are Gauguin’s, Picassos, Monet’s and Van Gogh’s that we have only seen in art history books. I happen to glance outside a window and notice a fashion photo shoot taking place on an opposite roof top. I find it hard to concentrate on the art when I fear that the model, leaning against a flimsy rooftop railing, may fall to her death. The museum guard is also facinated.

Picasso, Girl with a Ball

Gaugain

View of the Palace Square

View of a photo shoot from the Hermitage

A risky roof top photo shoot, viewed from the Hermitage museum.

1907 Charles Hofbauer

When our guided tour ends we decide to forego lunch and visit other floors of the contemporary wing but this detour proves to be a disappointment.

We hurry back to our hotel to recharge my phone and take a much needed 30 minute break. I suggest we grab a sandwich but there is really no time and we imagine that there will be food available at Peterholf Palace and Gardens.

At 2:45 we meet our group to fast walk to the hydrofoil that skims us out to the Peterholf Palace. The 30 minute hydrofoil ride takes us past modern skyscrapers along the outskirts of St. Petersburg and into the Gulf of Finland.

Modern Saint Petersburg

Our tour boards the hydrofoil to Peterholf Palace

Saint Petersburg bridge

Modern Saint Petersburg

Arriving at the Peterholf Palace docks, we follow Eszter towards the entrance and she helps us with our bearings before setting her duckings free to wander the opulent palace grounds. It is a glorious sunny afternoon and we have over two hours to enjoy the immense park. A snack is in order but Art realizes that he has no cash and the many park kiosks do not accept credit cards or Apple Pay. I have intentionally left my purse and valuables back at the hotel and our stomachs grumble as we wander through manicured gardens and gaze at cascading fountains.

Cascading fountains at Peterholf Palace

View of the canal and fountains from Peterholf Palace terrace

The gilded domes of Peterholf Palace shine in the afternoon light and I understand why the palace and gardens are referred to as the Russian Versailles. 

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Peterholf Gardens

Peterholf dock

Marty at the Peterholf Palace canal

Peterholf dock

Our tour returns together on the 5:00 P.M. hydrofoil and Art and I quickly regroup and head out in search of dinner.  We choose one of Eszter’s recommended restaurants, Arka which looks and feels very trendy and upscale.  It is early and although there are a few patrons at the bar, no one else is in the upstairs restaurant. Ordinarily, this would deter us but we are hungry and take the chance. We start with two house crafted cocktails, both of which are delicious but as usual, Art prefers my drink over his. His “Shuskin” cocktail is maple syrup based and mine is vodka with jalapeño and lime. We share a duck salad, potatoes with truffles and an artfully rolled sea bass entree.

Arka Restaurant, Saint Petersburg

Cocktails at Arka

Skewered Sea Bass entree

After dinner we wander along the main boulevard again, listening to the street musicians and enjoying the ambience of the night.  We stop in an Irish pub for a disappointing after dinner drink before returning to our hotel.

No surprise, a disappointing nightcap at an Irish bar in Saint Petersburg

Monday, August 12, 2019 – A City Walking Tour and Metro Tour

At 9:00 A.M. our group gathers with our listening gizmos for a walking tour. Our local guide gives us an overview of the history of Saint Petersburg and tells us about the Russian Siege.

Along a waterfront canal

Guide talking about the Russian Siege

Along a waterfront canal

We wander the Vasil’yevski district through back streets and along canals, all of which is picturesque and interesting.

Vasil’yevski alley

Back street in the Vasil’yevski district

Fashionable Cafe in the Vasil’yevski district

Vasil’yevski alley

Late morning, we stop for a coffee break at a gated and guarded island park. There is nothing of interest here except for the availability of restrooms and I gaze at the large pink snails attached to the brick walls with amused boredom.

Pink snails at an island park

Pink snails!

Along the canal

We continue our fast paced walking tour over ornate hippocampus and trident grilled bridges spanning the vast canals of Saint Petersburg and end at Saint Isaac’s, an opulent Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

Hippocampus bridge railing

Saint Isaac’s Russian Orthodox Church

Cathedral door

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral dome

Saint Isaac’s Cathedral dome

Stained glass at Saint Isaac’s Cathedral

Ceiling fresco

Interior detail

Standing under the impressive dome we ogle at the frescos, stained glass and opulence. Art and I make our way back to our Pushkin Hotel and have a blissful 45 minutes to recharge both bodies and electronics before meeting Eszter for an afternoon tour of the Saint Petersburg Metros.

Our beautiful room at the Pushkin Hotel

Descending into the metro

Entering the metro

I visited Russia with a University of Redlands tour in 1971 and after visiting the metros, I wrote a paper on the Soviet Realism Art. We ride a seemingly endless escalator hundreds of feet below ground to the first of many stations on the must see metro station list. Remarkable Soviet era mosaics decorate the end walls of some stations and stately marble pillars support crown molded ceilings. Countless wrought iron and brass chandeliers hang from arched ceilings. At one station, the columns are decorated with an iridescent golden molded glass imprinted with the Soviet star and bundles of wheat. Each metro stop we visit is spotlessly clean and decorated with impressive Soviet Era art intended to reinforce in the hearts and minds of Soviet citizens, the abundant lives they live under communist rule.

Puskin statue

An ornate metro station

Metro station mosaic

The ArtBobo station:)

Metro station chandelier

Metro station with columns of iridescent pressed glass

Column detail

Bronze bas-relief sculptures on every corner

Hammer and Sickle

Our group on the Saint Petersburg metro tour

Eszter and Art

Tonight is our final evening of our Rick Steve’s tour and our group boards a boat for an evening ride along the Neva River and through the Saint Petersburg canals. The weather is blissful and Saint Petersburg is aglow with slanted evening sunlight. We sit on the top deck while Eszter pours champagne into plastic flutes and we all toast to our week’s adventure.

Evening boat ride panorama along the Neva River

Saint Petersburg view from our boat on the Neva River

Watch your head!

Passing under many bridges we note the warning sign on the top deck of our boat. “Saint Petersburg has over 500 bridges, but you have only one head!” An hour later, out boat docks in front of a Georgian restaurant and our group of 25 enjoys a final dinner together. The food is both excellent and plentiful and the wine flows freely. There are a few farewell speeches and although many of us will see each other in the morning at breakfast, we say goodbye and goodnight to all.

Farewell dinner in Saint Petersburg

Toasting to a wonderful tour with great guides!

Tuesday, August 13 – A Day On Our Own and the Midnight Train to Moscow

After breakfast with our tour group, we stow our luggage at the hotel. Today we will be semi homeless until our train to Moscow departs at midnight. Admittedly it is preferable to have a room to return to where one can recharge batteries both literally and figuratively but with resolve, we set off to the near-bye Hermitage on our own. Eszter has coached us that the best way to avoid the ticket lines is to buy them at the automated kiosks just inside the ornate gates of the Hermitage courtyard. Although we arrive 30 minutes prior to opening, snaking lines extend far into the plaza. Just as we are heading to the end of the very long line the gates of the courtyard open and we see tourists rushing the gates. We fast walk through the gates but instead of lining up at the museum door for tickets, we spot four automated kiosks inside the courtyard. Art is second in line at one until a Chinese family asks him a question and skillfully maneuvers in front of him. Discount tickets are not available at the kiosks but even full price tickets are only 700 rubles each (about $11.) Unfortunately, the kiosk does not become operational until 10:30 A.M, the same time that the Hermitage opens. A long line forms behind Art and at all the kiosks and precisely at 10:30 A.M. the kiosk comes to life. 10 minutes later Art holds up our tickets triumphal! The ticket line at the Hermitage door is moving slowly but those with electronic tickets can enter through a side entrance in the courtyard.

The line to enter the Hermitage Museum

Museum ticket kiosk

After being x-rayed we push through a turnstile and find ourselves in a nearly empty Hermitage. We have entered through a side annex and wander a series of beautifully furnished decorative arts rooms within the palatial rococo rooms of the Hermitage.

We have this wing of the Hermitage to ourselves

Alone in the Hermitage

Alone in the Hermitage

Exotic jungle screen

Serpent jardinier

One of the many decorative art rooms

Gallery room in the Hermitage

Library

Griffin base display cabinets.

I wish to visit the treasury which requires a separate ticket and you can only visit on a museum tour with a guide. We are fortunate to time this perfectly and there are only 6 or 7 of us on the tour. Unfortunately we are not permitted to take photos but the hour long tour is wonderful. The opulent collection is varied and much of the jewelry is from ancient civilizations. The highlight for me is a single display of baroque pearl jewelry where master craftsmen cast and fabricated fanciful designs of mermaids and knights and dragons around irregular pearls. The high carat gold designs are opulently set with gemstones and richly enameled.  After the tour we share a quick sandwich in the crowded museum cafeteria unable to even find seats together and balancing our half sandwich on our laps.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019  An Art Museum Marathon, Saint Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin 

I set the alarm for 7:15 and take a quick shower before our breakfast is served. At precisely 7:40 our soft spoken stewardess knocks and brings us our breakfast trays. We raise the shade and eat watching the grey outskirts of Moscow roll by. 

Unfortunately, I have our arrival time wrong by 15 minutes and we are lolly-gagging when we pull into the station. We hurriedly zip suitcases and take stock of our belongings and disembark. Our taxi driver is waiting and he escorts us to a black BMW and whisks us across town to our Hotel Bulgakov in the Arbat district. According to the Lonely Planet Guide Book, the hotel I have reserved is perfectly located and has high ceilings and is a bargain for this district. Admittedly, it is a bargain at only $65 a night but the entrance is from a back parking alley and there is no elevator. The hotel is one flight up paint worn stairs to a tiny reception area and another flight up to our room which will not be available until 2:00 P.M.  The décor is funky and a fat black cat is curled on the reception sofa, apparently the hotel mascot. Cat prints and pillows are everywhere and a sign warns us to not allow the cat into your room under any circumstances.

We stow our luggage in a tiny downstairs closet and head out to get our bearings. We are steps away from the main restaurant and shopping street of the Arbat and although in most situations, we prefer to go local not corporate for our coffee, we find a spacious Starbucks where we can sit and plan our day. 

We set out walking towards the Pushkin Art museum, along stately back street with elegant buildings and past the occasional golden onion topped church. Naturally, there is a line at the museum but Art stands in it allowing me to sit and rest and within 20 minutes we are gliding across polished museum floors. We enter a monumental gallery with the fabulous Assyrian Gates, lines of Greek and Roman marble statues and a marble frieze of Saint George and the Dragon. 

Thursday, August 15th,  Visiting the Kremlin and the Armory.

Art and our “friend” Marina in front of he Kremlin Palace and Trinity Gate Tower

We didn’t realize that booking a tour to the Kremlin needed to be made weeks in advance. Against Arts wishes, I arranged for an expensive private guide to get us past the literal blockade into the Armory and the Kremlin. Marina, our young private guide meets us in the Arbat district and because of permits required, we agree that on the entire “tour” we will pretend she is a friend, not a guide. The three of us ride the metro together to Red Square and she navigates us to the remote entrance to the Armory. Another “friend” passes her tickets and we wait 30 minutes in line in a light drizzle. Although there are only about 30 people ahead of us, bag security checks take a long time. I didn’t want to visit Moscow and not see the Armory’s treasures but we are not allowed to take photographs and although the opulence of treasures are staggering; royal dresses, robes, crowns, armor, weapons and carriages; the excessive bling eventually becomes boring.

The Assumption Cathedral and Ivan the Great Bell Tower

Archangel Cathedral

Golden onion topped spires

Annunciation Cathedral

Archangel Cathedral door fresco

Tsar Bell

From the Armory we walk to the Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals all of which share a common square tucked within the Kremlin walls. Golden onion topped towers glint in the sporadic sunlight and we wait in lines at all three to admire the soaring domes from within and view Russian iconic frescos and the royal burial tombs. Photographs were not allowed inside the Cathedrals.

A peek at Putin’s helicopter pad

Surrounding Kremlin park

Kremlin park grounds

It is mid afternoon when our tour ends and our guide suggests we go for late lunch in the Gum shopping mall across from the Kremlin. The beautiful three story steel and glass roofed arcade was built over 100 years ago and is two football fields long. Graceful bridges and walkways span the structure filled with designer shop and upscale cafes. There are many dining options and we choose a bustling cafeteria on the second floor and find a small table on one of the bridge walkways where we can enjoy our meal, people watch and rest our legs.

Gum Department Store arcade

Gum Department Store arcade

Hotel Metropol Portico

We window shop and wander the short distance to Hotel Metropol, an Art Nouveau masterpiece built in the early 1900’s. I hope to splurge on a late afternoon cocktail in the bar of this historic hotel. Art and I straighten our clothes and our posture and mount the stairs to the hotel. A door man opens the door and we stroll through the elegant lobby trying to look as if we belong. I expect the bar to be under the soaring glass roof but it is just off a side wing of the lobby. One look at the designer clad women and well attired business men sipping their cocktails, plus a glance at the drink prices gives us pause. After circumnavigating the bar awkwardly, we make our less than graceful exit.

Caviar, wine and mushroom soup

Cnacckuu Restaurant

The palatial women’s restroom

Earlier today Art made a dinner reservation at Cnacckuu Restaurant where we were enticed and then turned away from for dinner last night. We rest and freshen up at our hotel and return to the restaurant to be welcomed by the gregarious Maître-d and seated at a corner window table. The interior glitters with ambience and promise but the service is slow and they are out of both the steamed mussels and the moderately priced caviar. We opt for an inexpensive alternative which is ceremoniously served to us accompanied by thin crepes and several sauces but it is a disappointment. The mushroom soup is overly salty but the remainder of the meal is decent and we wash it down with a good crisp white wine. I pop into the bathroom before our metro trip back to our hotel and am delighted by golden tiles, crystal wall sconces, glistening mirrors and a red and gold brocade chair more suited for Catherine’s Palace. Our bill including tip is about $80.

An after dinner stroll

Saint Basil’s Cathedral illuminated

Flowers and fairy lights

Saint Basil’s Cathedral is illuminated when we exit, the psychedelic painted towers popping in the night. The shopping promenade is lit with fairy lights and brightly colored beds of flowers bloom.