Author Archives: Michael Waring

The tour that we had contracted with Exeter lasted seven days. But Mary wasn’t sure if she was ever going to get another opportunity to visit to the Hermitage, so she had scheduled a couple of extra days in St. … Continue reading →

Today would be the last day of the organized Exeter tour, as well as my first day as a fifty seven year old, which I am reliably informed is totally old. I am so pleased. Luda and Vladimir (our driver), … Continue reading →

My faithful iMac turned recalcitrant and sulky, just like a teenager. Well, it is four years old, which must be seventeen in computer years, so I guess it was to be expected. I took it to the Genius Bar, which … Continue reading →

And now we’re in St. Petersburg. I’ve been interested in the history of St Petersburg for quite a while. Here’s the wiki because the alternative is that I will just sit here and write and write and write and bore … Continue reading →

Today was to be our last in Moscow. But first, before we departed, there was a group tour of the backstage of the Bolshoi Theatre, which just completed six years of renovations in 2011. We had considered at one point … Continue reading →

Again, an early morning, too early, which possibly might have been due to a few Russian Standard Imperial vodkas the night before, but the data on that is indeterminate. Again the morning’s portion of the day’s activities would be based … Continue reading →

This morning we had to get up bright and early, because a group tour was scheduled. Today, the big event was a tour of the Kremlin. One advantage of using the Exeter tour guides, is that they arranged to enter … Continue reading →

I think I should make a note here. The actual tour was scheduled to start today, in the afternoon, when most of the other people on this trip were scheduled to arrive. We came a day early to acclimate (Moscow … Continue reading →

Mary, one fine day last year, was surfing travel sites and looking for bargains. Lo and behold, she discovered that Conde Nast Traveler magazine was sponsoring a special Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Event. And the people (well, Mary anyway) saw it was … Continue reading →

So to cap off this year’s travel season, the pièce de résistance (you have to say that with a bad French accent, and remember, roll your R’s!), was a ten-day trip to Russia. For the uninitiated, and anyone that didn’t … Continue reading →