Time is all around...

...and winding down, unfortunately. I wish that I could stay for the entire summer, but I have to make the most of what I have left. I've been spending a lot of lovely afternoons outside, staying out until 11pm or 12am. The sun goes down at 10pm now, so it's very easy to lose track of time. My favorite thing, however, is that there is no more snow! Just 3 weeks ago I was walking down this same stretch of beach, treacherously crossing the ice... now look at it...

I sat right on the beach in a light t-shirt and shorts. I dipped my feet into the water, but I have to admit it was pretty chilly. Plus, although it looks sparkly and blue, it's not particularly clean, being a river and all.

The group's last excursion was to Yusopov Palace, which was a special treat. This palace is notorious known for being the site of Rasputin's murder, but it also is a delicate and ornate family home. This feeling is retained throughout the palace, especially once one sees the libraries, secret doors, music rooms, and the gorgeous theatre.

These past two weeks have also been spectacularly filled with musical performances. I've been lucky enough to attend two concerts, one being a typical classical concert -- with waltzes, polkas, and mazurkas from composers like Shostakovich, Waldteufel, Strauss, Sibelius, Khachaturian, and so on. This concert was truly special, since only traditional Russian folk instruments were used (balalaikas, and the like). The second concert was based on Soviet composer Schnittke's pieces and Russian film music. For me, experiencing these performances was like seeing magic happen. There is nothing more intoxicating than beautiful music, talented musicians and conductors... I'm still bowled over with excitement, just thinking about those evenings at the theatre.

I've also volunteered at the Hermitage, which guaranteed to be an extraordinary amount of fun no matter what you do -- greeting tourists or drawing fragments of ancient artifacts. So far I've greeted and directed visitors to the museum. It's a little nerve-wracking to tell an 80-year-old grandmother that she has to take her coat off, but most visitors are courteous and abide by the rules. My friend and I ran into a bad situation with one group of tourists, but we took their bad tempers in stride and managed the situation.

The cat that is "hired" by the Hermitage. Did you know that in Russia there is a national cat day that is celebrated? The Hermitage had cat sculptures, paintings, and an actual room filled with cats for the visitors to play with.

I'm hoping to volunteer again this weekend, and I'll definitely mention any more interesting happenings.

So long for now!