Mockba

Just arrived safe and sound back in sunny Moscow, after a five hour train ride inexplicably filled with loud Italian tourists. The last time I was here in the apartment was less than two months ago, but it feels like years.
On our tour of St. Petersburg, we saw the Hermitage, the Peterhof, Catherine's Palace, a few cathedrals and the Peter and Paul fortress. The six of us actually stayed in a hotel apartment, next door to Pushkin's old flat. The best and brightest by far was the Hermitage, located in a sprawling winter palace done in guilded baroque and luxuorious neoclassical style. The combination of amazing archiecture and amazing artwork is overwhelming. While the palace itself far outstrips the Lourve, the scope of the artwork matches it, although the quality of the masterpieces is not up to Lourve standards. They had all the masters of the lourve, but not thier best works. Also notable was the amber room in Catherines palace.
What amazes me was that of the many numerous palaces the Nazis gutted in thier advances into Russia, the Soviets rebuilt and restored them. Inlaid wood floors painstakingly relaid, statues carved and guilded, paintings redone.
Now, 13 countries and 26 cities later, its time to go to work writing and compiling my extensive notes on this trip. With nothing but time on my hands between now and when I head back for home, I should have a working copy of my travelouge/guide.