Dancing With the Czars
Tom wanted to waltz across the Hermitage floors. Mom greeted this news with alarum. "You can't waltz acrss the Hermitage, Wendy, it's too slick!" Over the phone, Mom heard me roll my eyes. "No, really! Those beautiful wood floors are so slippery, they give you special paper booties, so you don't fall and hurt yourself! Oh Wendy, be careful."
And Tom dropped a lady on her butt during a Polka on Saturday! (The lady in question could not polka.) Ominous harbinger? I know no fear. Tom and I went to the Hermitage today. It was lovely. The Grand Ballroom was closed for renovations, but our tour guide suggested another room in which the Russian Czars and Czarinas danced.
After the tour, we located the suggested room in the Hermitage maze. It was occupied by a crypt. Could she possibly have meant for us to dance in front of a tomb? What the hell, we danced the Congress of Vienna. As we twirled around, a crowd of Japanese tourists filed into the room. Tom had chosen music that was quite long. We danced and danced, as the tourists watched. At the end of the music, Tom bowed low, to the sound of applause! Only one person applauded, but it felt nice!
The paper slippers Mom remembered were not evident, but women with stiletto heels wore thick wool covers over their shoes. Russian women tend to be tall, and tend to wear very high heels. The force impacted by a 110-lb woman stepping onto a 1/4" point is enough to damage even stone floors. Many churches in Europe have signs showing the stiletto behind a big red circle with a slash through it.
The wood floors of the Hermitage are magnificent.
Waltz worthy.