29/08/03 — *cough* *wheeze*
If you're gonna get sick while travelling, where better to do it than the house of a Russian Jewish mother who happens to be your second cousin. I have had rollmops and beetroot salad foist upon me like there's no tomorrow, I'm currently sipping hot blackcurrant tea with vitamin C powder and I had lots of vodka with dinner and cognac poured in my after-dinner coffee (medicinal, don't you know).
Of course, I wouldn't *be* sick if it weren't for icky St Petersburg weather (rainy, windy, bloody horrible) and the damned *dust* everywhere. The entire city is covered in it.
Anyhow, today I dragged myself through the Hermitage
(oh god, I need another three days there please) feeling
quite surreal as the fever kicked in, standing in the
room where Nikolai was arrested by revolutionary soldiers
and trying not to laugh out loud at the American girl
who said "Oh yeah, I read a Danielle Steele book
about that girl Anastasia" when her guide tried
to tell her about the family being killed. I saw Nikolai
II's library, the huge collection of French paintings,
the Egyptian room... oh, my feet hurt.
I've also been to the Smolny and walked through the
Summer Palace and other stuff and done research for
my next story. St Petersburg is *huge* and everything
is very far away from everything else. Did I mention
my feet hurt?