Wayne and Evelyn Dorsett of John’s Island have spent more than 220 days sailing aboard the Voyager and other Regent liners, including a golf cruise and several themed trips to Europe, Hawaii and Tahiti.
Vadim Palchun, a Russian guide and art expert, is leading a group of 12 wide-eyed Americans to a restricted and rarely visited inner sanctum in one of the world’s greatest art museums. Built over a span of 150 years, the enormous Hermitage, once the czar’s winter palace in the Baltic city of St. Petersburg, houses more than two million pieces of art. In these secluded rooms, restoration is under way on priceless frescos, some dating back to the 7th century.
As the small group gathers around, Vadim employs his flawless English to translate the remarks of these skilled workers, who explain the purpose and procedure of their painstaking task. “Most people in my group are not art experts,” Vadim says later. “But what sets them apart – and this is the most important thing – is their eagerness to learn.”
Read the entire article in the January 2009 issue
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