Last Day in Russia

view onto Palace Square from the Hermitage


a hallway in the Hermitage

My last day in Russia. It's been a long few weeks here. Fantastic. Everyone warned me off of coming and it turns out to be one of the greatest experiences ever. I've met fantastic people, both travelers and locals, and seen some breathtaking sights. I can't wait to come back some day.

I went to the Hermitage today. It was more something that I knew I needed to do as opposed to really wanting to do it, but I was glad I went. Armed with a bag of gummy worms, a book and my journal, I was prepared to do a full day of walking and exploring and relaxing. I don't have a lot of art knowledge so I latched onto a few tour groups to get some information at times, but most of the time was just spent walking in and out of rooms. Some people I met walked the entire museum and spent 6 plus hours in there, but I was honestly worn out after 3.5. The most stunning part of the whole place was the building. I was blown away by the colors and staircases and views. The rooms were guilded and majestic and a significant part of the whole experience. There were a few da Vinci's and the largest collection of Rembrandt's in the world. Apparently the Kremlin had art buyers all over the world sweeping up works and stashing them in their private collections, which were all shipped East by train during the Second World War. I know it sounds sacreligious but I am not the biggest Picasso and the photo above of the Palace Square and tower were taken from one of the two Picasso rooms... when everyone else was looking at the art, I had my head and camera out the window staring at the city.

I think you could probably spend days there, so someday I will have to go back, but it was a good first time run. I am gearing up for my first visit to the Louvre. I think I will need a few bags of snacks for that one and another good book. And no more art museums between now and Paris...