Gorgeous fall day in St.Petersburg
Today we decided to head to the Russian State Museum. Honestly, I should probably have researched the museum before heading there. Although I am glad we did go. I expected the museum to be more about the history of Russia. It was not.
Several weeks ago my cousin sent me some documents concerning my great grandfather. I never knew until very recently that my great grandfather worked in St.Petersburg as a carriage driver. I was sent what I believe are military documents. I was hoping to have someone at the museum translate them for me. I met some pretty cool people last night at the hotel lounge. I met an American who has traveled here for the last ten years. He enlightened me a lot about how much things have improved for the Russian people in the last ten years. I learned a great deal from him and the bartender.
The bartender translated a little of the document but she was working so I didn't want to disrupt her. In addition she didn't know the translation in English for some of the words. I am hoping that at some point I can get some answers. My great grandfathers story is very intersting and I would like to learn more about his life before coming to America.
After visitng the State Museum which was really an art museum we walked around the center of St.Petersburg. We then headed back to the hotel to get ready for our boat cruise. We decided to postpone the river cruise until tomorrow. It is a little chilly today. As my title says it feels a lot like fall here. However it was a very sunny, pleasant day. After returning to the hotel I decided to head to the Peter and Paul fortress. This fortress was built by Peter the Great to obviously protect the city from foreign invasion. I felt like walking around and I also really wanted to see the resting place of the royal family, the Romanovs.
The Romanov family was murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1919 during the midst of the Russian Revolution. It really is a sad chapter in Russian history. The whole family was massacred including the five children. The remains of the bodies were not discovered until later in history. The family was ignored by the Communists and any mention of the family would bring scrutiny. The family was finally brought to the cathedral where all the other Romanovs are buried exactly 80 years after they were murdered. For some reason I have always been captivated by the final days of the family. I just can't imagine the horror that awaited them after they were taken down into the basement of the home in which they were held captive by the Communists. The story goes that Nicholas II pleaded with the killers and attempted to shield his youngest child, Alexei, from the bullets. He was killed first. The men then focused their attention on the Alexandra, Nicholas' wife, and then his daughters. However, when the men began to fire their weapons at the daughters something crazy happened. They didn't die. In fact some of the bullets ricocheted around the room. The murderers were astounded and perplexed. They then decided to stab the girls to death to finish the deed. It was not until later when preparing them for burial did they notice that the girls had tons of diamonds and jewels lined in their corsets trying to keep them hidden from the Bolsheviks. I have so much more I would like to read and learn about. Traveling on these journeys peaks my interest in many subjects including the Romanov family.
Tomorrow is our last day in St.Petersburg. I am not ready to go quite yet. I really enjoy this city and feel myself growing more comfortable as the days pass. It truly is a remarkable city and I will always hold fond memories of my time here. However, I am excited to visit Moscow and know I will see and learn a lot while there.
Pompeii is burning, imagine the horror
Olga: One of the Romanov girls murdered on that fateful day. Beautiful looking family. Have you heard the story of Anastasia?
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