September 30, 2001 – Irkutsk

Sue and Rudy in front of the Decembrist house museum. The Decembrists were exiled to Siberia in the 1820's for an attempt to overthrow the czar. (The attempted coup was in December; hence, the term "Decembrist".) Most of the Decembrists were nobleman and almost all were prominent in society. Eleven of them were married and their wives agreed to follow them to Siberia, despite having to agree that they'd never return to European Russia and that their children wouldn't inherit their titles. The museum was the restored house of Prince Volkonsky and his wife, Maria Volkonskaya, and was famous for the piano recitals and concerts she gave.