I Like To Think It Is Because I Am So Handsome…

A sleepy Helsinki Sunday morning ushered in the holiday of Father’s Day for Finland and my departure from Nordic Area of Europe. I headed further east by high-speed train into Saint Petersburg, Russia!

The High Speed Train

Hello Cyrillic Alphabet

Russian Immigration has a reputation for attention to detail. On a previous trip to Russia, my passport received a thorough examination under a magnifying glass. On this trip it was my face that received the scrutiny. I like to think it is because I am so handsome. For a solid five minutes the passport control officer compared the way I looked in front of her to my passport photo and then to my visa photo on her hand held computer. Going through a cycle of glances, it was as if she was dissecting my face feature by feature and scoring every comparison made. Outwardly, I maintained a smile and façade of composure. Internally, I was trying to figure out how to respond if told my passport and visa photo do not match me. All I could hope for was that her analysis would yield a sufficient score. Still with some reservation, she called over another passport control officer for their opinion. Fortunately, this officer confidently and swiftly concluded that I am indeed the individual photographed!

In the late afternoon I went to the Hermitage museum. The museum was established in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. Its collection amounts to millions of pieces and rivals that of the Louvre and world-class museums. Today, the various galleries from different eras and styles hang in all five palaces that compose the Hermitage complex. One need not be a connoisseur of art to enjoy the visit; visiting the inside of the palace is a grand experience in its own right. I was fortunate to have had a guide that only gave context to art on display but also to original uses the various rooms had when they were serving the Czar and his family.