A couple of months ago Zach and I found a spare afternoon to check out the Impressionist Exhibit at the De Young museum in Golden Gate Park. To be honest I was nervous. I think we all are a little nervous when in love with someone and attempting to appreciate something you know they are passionate about when you yourself may not find much in it at all. Zach loves art of many varieties. He loves new, twisted magazines full of dark, bizarre pictures and he loves the beauty of a perfect da Vinci. In this aspect of our lives we are completely different. That day, however, something changed for me. I don't know if it was the perfect lighting at the De Young museum or Zach's ability to describe the history behind the Impressionist Movement within the context of the brush strokes in the paintings we saw but I found myself moved by each work. I stood in contemplation of the pictures getting lost in the corners of the stories they each told.
Probably one of the aspects I was most excited about in our trip to Russia was the opportunity to show Zach some of the most amazing museums in the world. Knowing he'd never experienced anything like them and his passion for art I was giddy in anticipation to simply watch his response. Though I enjoyed the De Young exhibit I assumed I still might find museums a bit tedious, but I was prepared to spend hours in them for Zach’s sake. Last night we returned from our three day trip to St. Petersburg and I can now say that it was immensely satisfying both to show Zach things he could only have dreamed of seeing before and to see my father's home town in a more mature light of my own.
Saturday night after finally recovering from jet-lag Zach and I accompanied by my dad, Greg (my dad's wife's son), Andrei (my dad's wife's other son), and Diana (Andrei's wife) boarded a high-speed train to St. Petersburg. It was Zach's first official train trip anywhere and the perfect opportunity to see some of the Russian countryside in the dimming early-fall light. We left at nearly 5 pm managing to have a few hours to watch the passing trees, fields, and villages roll by. The fall colors were starting to show making every passing window a picturesque scene of it's own. I officially decided birch trees have to be some of the most beautiful trees in the world almost purposefully designed to be painted or photographed. Though there were many towns full of beaten down houses in which you think no one would live, looking closer you see perfectly kept gardens outside each door. They may be poor, but the surrounding beauty and soft look of each town emitted a sense of warmth I so rarely experience. As we watched the passing scene my dad talked to Zach and I some about the history of St. Petersburg.
There is a certain feeling everyone gets when they arrive in St. Petersburg. It's like a passing calm or a sense of awe that humbles us all. The city is full of the kind of architecture you only imagine in fairy tales. In addition to the seemingly endless palaces the buildings themselves, each designed individually, have a magnificence that I can't quite describe. Even the colors - pale yellows, pinks, greens and blues - seem to perfectly match the splashes of sunlight or moonlight from the broad sky. It was a planned city intended to be Russia's gateway to Europe. It is also the largest city that is that far north.
We went directly to my aunt and uncle's apartment where I've visited since I was 10. My other aunt and my only cousin were there as well. As expected there was a little "snack" for us ready when we arrived of various Russian-Jewish-Ukrainian salads, breads, fish and meat. After the meal we went on to tea and sweets including varenia, which is sort of like fresh jam made from wild berries. My Russian relatives know me as a varenia addict so they always pull out all the jars when I am visiting. My favorite this trip was made with a kind of wild cranberry I never knew exhisted.
In the morning we all arose bright and early to another full meal. There was fresh farmers cheese, blinchiki (a kind of cheese pancake), more varenia, and other nibbles. It amazes me that my aunt, who is 76, still happily prepares meals for so many guests. Being a little tired and the food being so good I over ate, but it turned out to be a good thing because once at the Hermitage the last thing we wanted to do was to stop to eat. We got there when the museum opened and stayed for over five hours. The Hermitage is the largest art museum in the world and is made up of a few buildings the entrance being at the winter palace. At first it is hard to know where to focus - everything about the museum is a work of art, from the doors to the ceilings to the art on the walls. Much to my own surprise I became mesmerized by the art. I walked into each room and was caught by the emotions a picture would inspire. For all the times I've had the opportunity to experience the Hermitage in this way all but this one were lost on me. My dad helped us focus on what we most would like to see as it would take days to get the entire place. For the full explanation of our visit you can view through the pictures. Zach was thorough; as I'd hoped he savored every minute of the experience.
Throughout the next couple of days we took a boat tour of the city through a few of its many canals, walked through St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Church of the Savior on Blood, and toured the streets looking at statue after statue. The last day it was just Zach, my dad and I. We took a half an hour boat ride to Peterhof Palace which sits on the Gulf of Finland. This palace was my favorite. For some reason I don't think I've ever been there or if I have it is a long lost memory. Fall felt like the perfect time to walk through the palace's gardens with changing leaves falling around us. We arrived just in time to watch the fountains start. As you walk through the again fairy-tale like gardens and forest you come upon fountain after fountain. Some of the pathways have secret stones that aristocrats would use to start fountains - they would amuse themselves by splashing passers by. A squirrel decided it liked Zach and climbed all over him nibbling on his head. Luckily we got pictures. We finished back in the city with the Peter and Paul Fortress where lies the tomb of Catherine the Great. I especially like this spot as my middle name, Catherine, was in honor of this great Empress.
As we toured my dad told Zach and I story after story about the Tsars and the history of his home town. Amongst the palaces and art we also saw the apartment building where he grew up, the shore he played on as a child, and the schools he attended. In front of his primary school he vividly described his first day of school. He arrived excited for what was to come and to this day remembers leaving at the end of the day feeling, at only six, sorrow that he would be wasting twelve years of his life at such a place. The evenings were spent with my relatives eating Galia's, my aunt, delicious food and attempting conversation as best we could.
We left Tuesday night exhausted from our intensive visit with brains full of images and information. I can say I am happy to be back in Moscow with the comforts of my dad's apartment and light schedule, but the visit to St. Petersburg will never be forgotten. If you have a minute please look through the pictures. Hopefully you will feel just piece of all we got out of our time there. Now I will get back to my day today which consists of relaxing on the couch, rain pouring outside, and an entire day of Indiana Jones - not including the fourth one which I could never count as a true Indiana Jones movie. Thank you all for your comments and responses.
Side note – I still need to label the pictures so please check back for the full story. I wanted to get this posted and haven’t had time to go through the nearly 500 pictures we took to label them all!
