Russia – Day 9 – Hermitage Museum

Photos will be posted tomorrow. Be patient okay? I’m lucky I even have a connection here people!

Today was museum day. That needs an exclamation point. Museum Day!! Our hotel is within walking distance of The Hermitage so of course we set out early to pay it a visit. We grabbed a quick breakfast in the hotel which consisted of a hard boiled egg, bread and cheese, fruit juice and tea. Then we hoofed it to the central square. It’s only about a 15-minute walk. Good exercise!

The Hermitage is big. Beyond big. Huge. Massive. We could only view the 2nd and 3rd floors which consist of Italian, Dutch, French, Spanish and English painters. And even that was done at a brisk pace. You could easily spend 8 hours per floor if you want to take the headphones and take it all in thoroughly. I chose to go to my favorites like Renoir, Matisse, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet, Pisarro, Brueggel and a few others. Whew…amazing. I took so many photos I feel like I could give a pretty thorough tour.

Jack likes Cezanne and Matisse, especially the cutout paper works. I guess he learned about Matisse in art class. He was surprised that I knew who he was. I think that Jack thought he had just learned something completely new.

Jack: Was Henri Matisse alive when you were little?

Me: No, we studied him in school, just like you.

Jack: But how did you know about him if he wasn’t born yet?

Me: He was already dead sweetie.

Jack: Then how did he keep on painting?

Me: Sigh…

We’re currently in the hotel getting ready to pack up for that train back to Moscow at 1:40 a.m. We never stop moving!! I’ll say this… St. Petersburg is unreal. Every street has a view to die for. The sun actually peeked out for a bit today and people squinted up helplessly without any sunglasses on hand to pull out. Poor things. It’s been cool out but not very freezing cold like I expected. No rain at all. Woo hoo! Been lugging that damn umbrella for nothing. My purse weighs a holy ton, what with the water bottle, iPad, passport wallet, pile of Russian bills and coins, mini hair brush and hairspray (windy!), “batty” Jack’s stuffed animal, Russian phrase book, a few lipsticks and chap sticks, (windy!!), camera, damn…maps, tissues, napkins (sal fyetkas). And some other things. Freak, it’s heavy.

So, the other day as we entered the Kremlin, we met a couple from…somewhere…they spoke English and we bonded and took photos of each other. Then today, a 9-hour train ride later, in the Hermitage, in a random tiny room in the Dutch wing (remember, this museum is HUUUUGE), we bump into them again. “Heeeeeyyyyyyyy!” Point, wave, laugh. How random!

9:58 p.m. Yawn. This guy on TV looks like a Russian Liam Nieson.

Haraschol. Okay.

Paka. Bye.