European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Soviet Union Ukraine Romania a Volgograd Bulgaria Black sea Istanbul our highlights top a boat cruises past the Kremlin on the Moscow River. Above tourists inspect the Czar s Cannon which was never fired. At right two boys pose with the broken 200-ton Czar s Bell which never rang. Sfa Fues adorn the top of the Hermitage in Leningrad. The Cruiser Aurora which signalled the Start of the revolution is now a floating museum. The base Price of the eight Day Sato ask tour is 1,995 Marks $1,246which includes air fares Frankfurt Moscow Moscow Leningrad and Leningrad Frankfurt meals three overnights each in Moscow and Leningrad Airport and hotel transfers and the services of a Sato Abr tour guide. Highlights of the Moscow portion of the tour were the Kremlin including a $20 optional tour of the churches the City s subway system new Maidens Convent arbat Street s pedestrian shopping area and the Pushkin Fine arts museum. The optional Kremlin tour included several of the most picturesque parts of the Palace Arsenal Square Ivanov Square and Cathedral Square. It revealed that Many trappings of the Imperial period were purely for show. The 200-ton car s Bell for instance never rang it was broken before it was installed. Equally impressive to look at and just As useless is the car s Cannon a monstrous artillery piece the barrel alone weighs 40 tons that was never fired. In Leningrad highlights were the Hermitage the Cruiser Aurora the Church of the resurrection the Smolny Institute St. Isaac s Cathedral the Peter and Paul fortress Nevsky Prospect and the Alexander Nevsky monastery the burial place of Tchaikovsky. The Hermitage tour was $25 extra but the former czarist Palace is the one Leningrad landmark that everyone should see. Its immensity and incredible opulence Are stunning. Added to this is the fact that it is one of the finest Art museums in the world with More than 2vi million exhibits. The tour of St. Isaac s Cathedral was an extra $10. It is also Well Worth seeing. The cupola is gilded with 300 kilograms of Gold. Its Many magnificent mosaics contain 43 types of precious and semiprecious stones and 14 types of Marble. Sato Abr is running additional Tours to Moscow and Leningrad july 1-8, sept. H -23, oct. 7-14, and nov. 18-25. _. A z May 31, 1990 stripes Magazine