St. Petersburg, Russia 6-22/23

Amongst the surreal beauty there is still this harsh reality.

Peterhof Palace

This is the Peterhof Palace just outside St. Petersburg. The gardens are extensive and cover many acres. The fountains are elaborate and provide wonderful scenes for pictures. We did not tour the palace but had lunch in the cafe located in the gardens. Peter the Great built this palace to rival any court palaces in Europe.

Our Evening at Catherine's Palace

Our evening at Catherine's Palace consisted of dinner and entertainment. Lyndon was even asked to dance with one of the female entertainers but the pictures were out of focus as they were moving so fast! The music was really fun - but the food less than fair. Russians are not cooks, they should take lessons from the Germans or Italians! Great evening!

St. Petersburg, Russia 6-22/23

This is Catherine's Palace in Pushkin which used to be called Village of the Czars but subsequently named for one of Russia's most famous authors. We enjoyed an evening of dinner and entertainment here. (Looks like I duplicated a photo - Suzanne you can delete it if you want - thanks)

St. Petersburg, Russia 6-22/23

The Hermitage Museum. This museum is overwhelming in size and the vast collections of original paintings housed here is mind-boggling. There are literally hundreds of originals by Cezanne, Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, Matisse, Monet, Van Gogh, and so many others. The collection was begun by Catherine the Great (Catherine II) who was Peter the Great's daughter. She sent representatives throughout Europe to purchase art and other items so that her collection would rival any other in the world. There are 2.7 million paintings and 5 million pieces in the entire collection. If you stood in front of each painting for 1 minute, it would take you 11 years to view them all. Unfortunately, they are virtually unprotected from sunlight and are quite exposed to room air.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

This photo makes a statement about Moscow and Russia - Though the country is trying to move forward the landscape is gray and dreary. The people on the streets seem unhappy and as gray and dreary as the landscape. They seem non-directional with almost vacant faces. This land and its people are still heavily bound by the chains of communism and oppression. We are so grateful to be Americans.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

Lyndon and Peggy just outside Red Square.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

Two scenes in the city of Moscow. It is a very large city with some beautiful places but for the most part it is very bleak and austere. It sure makes us appreciate our country and all we have.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

A very large shopping mall located in Red Square. The architecture is beautiful and shows that there is progress in this country. It is quite a contrast to other sights in Moscow.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

Lyndon in front of St. Basil's Church in Red Square

Moscow, Russia 6-21

This is the Kremlin Grand Palace. By special arrangements with our cruise line we were granted a tour. We were not allowed to take cameras or handbags into the palace and the security was very rigid. It is truly a grand place and difficult to think of the elaborate decorations here while the people in Moscow suffered so.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

Our two guides in Moscow. The guy is Alexander "Sasha" and was absolutely wonderful. He spoke excellent english, was well-educated and had a terrific sense of humor about Russia and Moscow. Thoroughly enjoyable tour.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

This is Red Square. Lenin's tomb is the large square construction. The public is not allowed inside at this time but we didn't care to go in anyway. It is amazing to see this historic place.

Moscow, Russia 6-21

Getting ready to board a Russian plane for a day in Moscow - What an experience!

Stockholm, Sweden 6-17/19

Another view of the wonderful old town in Stockholm. Lyndon and Peggy by the Nordic Museum - next to the Vasa Museum and finally a picture of our hotel (The Sheraton) in the city. The weather was still cool, breezy and off and on rain, but we thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay.

Stockholm, Sweden 6-17/19

This is the famous Vasa ship which sank in Stockholm Sweden in 1648. It sank 10 minutes after it was launched. It was brought up 333 years after it sank and the museum was built around it. This is probably the highlight of Stockholm. It is truly amazing to see and the story is fascinating!

Stockholm, Sweden 6-17/19

Lyndon and Peggy with Church of Nobility, Stockholm Sweden in background. River view of city of Stockholm showing the place where the Vasa ship sank in 1648. It remained afloat only 10 minutes after launch!

Big Ben -- For Ben Sanders!

BEN SANDERS -- This is a better photo of the giant clock that has your name!

The Jersey Boys

Enjoyed this production at the Prince Edward Theatre London before leaving for Stockholm, Sweden.

London, England 6-14/17

These are Fish 'N Chips England style. Lunch at the Bag o' Nails close to Buckingham Palace. The side dish was "mushy peas" like mashed peas instead of mashed potatoes. Sounds strange? Maybe -- but it was all delicioso!!

Photo of Big Ben and the Parliament: Ben Sanders: Did you know they named a big clock tower in London just for you??

Kathleen and I posing as the Queen and Diana - wish we had those jewels in our jewelery boxes.

London was busy and chaotic (as usual) but more so due to the fact that Pres. Bush was in town. Some streets were closed off and security was very tight creating even more confusion. We had a wonderful time - concluding with a night at the Prince Edward for the show "Jersey Boys" See photo below.

London, England 6-14/17

This is a picture of our hotel overlooking the Thames River in London. You can also see the huge (really huge) "London Eye" ferris wheel which was right outside of our window. Each pod carries about 25 people and moves around very slowly to give a magnificent view of all of London. We did not choose to experience this adventure. From out hotel you could see Big Ben and the Parliament building (known as Whitehall), Westminster Abbey as well as numerous bridges over the Thames.

The next picture is taken of us at the London Tower Bridge and the third picture is taken at Trafalgar Square. We also experienced the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace along with about 10,000 plus other tourists crowded into the area!

Salzburg, Austria 6-12/14

Salzburg is a very beautiful city! The gazebo picture is one of us taken by our guide and is the gazebo used for the "Sound of Music". The dessert we are eating is a traditional Austrian one and is a vanilla mousse meringue! Our hotel was located on the tiny street called Gedreidegasse. We also attended a Mozart concert and dinner where Mozart actually performed. Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart though he lived much of his life in Vienna! What a great place!

Neuschwanstein Castle - Bavaria

The countryside of Bavaria is magnificent. The Neuschwanstein Castle gave Walt Disney his inspiration for creating the Magic Kingdom Castle in Disneyland. It is a very beautiful and breathtaking view.

Lindau, Germany (Bavaria) 6-10/12

We completely love Bavaria! Lindau is the town where Switzerland, Germany and Austria converge. Lake Konstanz is the water you see and the garden scene is from our hotel. The Villino is a charming italian style villa set on a mountainside above Lindau and has the best food we have ever eaten anywhere in our travels!!

Munich, Germany 6-8/10

Munich is a very fun, busy city. We had great food in a "biergarten" and walked the streets enjoying all the fun shopping. The architecture is wonderful!