We just made our first winter tour in years and discovered anew that winters in Russia can be severe although always beautiful. Fortunately we missed the record cold that beset Moscow and St. Petersburg shortly after our return to the United States. What we did see was beautiful snow laden grounds at the various palaces and in the Russian countryside. Yes we took a sleigh ride on a troika, but the drivers failed to provide the usual blankets, so it was not as blissful as remembered. We spent a lively New Year's Eve at the Lands Krona restaurant for a seven course meal spiced with vodka and caviar. We enjoyed music, ballet, art, and architecture galore. As always the Taleon Club was a special delight and an opportunity to sample the food enjoyed by the ruling classes from a far distant past. We determined that it is better to take the winter tour on dates other than December 15 through 15 January due to the hordes of Russians that come to St. Petersburg and create summer like lines at the various tourist destinations that make St. Petersburg such a late marvelous tour spot. Next winter the tour will come in early December or late January.

Now for a description of our delightful spring tour which is set for late April of 2006. We will spend an extra day and night in Moscow in order to have sufficient time to see more of Russia's capitol city and the sights there. We want to add the KGB museum and at least one Tsarist Palace. We also want to switch gears and take the new special train to St. Petersburg if it is available in lieu of the famous Red Arrow. The Lomonosov factory museum has been in my sights for a long time and hopefully this spring we will get to take an American group to see the fascinating collections available there.

We want to get back to our roots and see more of Russian families and learn about life there. The Academy of Arts will be open and for sure we will return to one of the most significant university museums in the world. This spring we have a good group of both young and old scheduled to go and I look forward to it with great anticipation. I hope that you will join us. Get your requests in early so as not to miss out.

Sincerely,
Michael E. Donnelly, Ph.D.
President