Museum of Political History of Russia, St. Petersburg

This definitely has recent soviet era Russia.  Whereas much of what I’ve encountered overlooks this time here is a museum of modern times. Lennin, Stalin, Breschnev.  They even have the 1937 Reign of Terrior.  I was surprised to see this though suspect the actual numbers of deaths are deflated.  Still the merits of the times are represented. I was reminded of Smithsonian museums that are similar. Newspapers, furniture, photographs.  I was most impressed by replicas of the offices of the Bolsheviks and Lennin’s Office.
I liked the celebration of athletes. They referenced the great Russian and Canadian Hockey matches. Barrett, being American, didn’t even know of this greatest of moments in all history.  I explained to her that the game of hockey was at its finest then and we watched it with adulation because of the skill and strategy involved.  When Vlad and I had talked hockey yesterday he lamented that the best players had gone overseas.  I personally think Hollywood destroyed the game with all the crowd pleasing violence.  Recent head injuries and spinal injuries among players may bring the game back from its silly boxing matches on ice skates to stickman ship and skating.  I had to confess to Barrett the best hockey I’d seen recently was the Canadian versus American Women’s hockey.  Same level of skills without all the violence. That said I so enjoyed the Canucks game I attended last year. There wasn’t any of the violence and the skills of the players were world class.  The coaching left something to be desired in other games.
I digress, here in this St. Petersburg Museum, those greatest of hockey games are eulogized. As it should be.
The day was such a downpour that I bought us souvenir umbrellas in the underground station.
In the civil war there were  Red, White and Green Armies. I never heard of the Greens,  In the Bolshevik office it was good to see a picture of Trotsky resurrected.