The Hermitage ~ I made it
If you recall, this was one of those items I didn't get to last year... Well I get there, only to discover that I am not very culturally aware. When I heard everyone speak of the Hermitage, they would mention how this was the Winter Place and Winter home of Catherine the Great. So, I thought, great I am going to see one of the places of the Russian royalty.
Alas, this was not quite the case. What I did discover however was that the Hermitage is made up of 5 buildings, one of which is the Winter Place. The big draw however, is that inside these 5 buildings, they have an incredible amount of Art. Yes, ART. It was the Louvre only in Russia.
So not being a big fan of the painted portrait, I found myself walking around in the tour with these wireless receivers to hear the tour guide, learning about artists and his interpretation of the art. While for some I am sure this is quite fascinating, for me, I was disappointed I wasn't going to see the incredible opulance of a Royal Palace. Guess I really need to read the excursion description next time! But I did see the Winter Palace...
Now don't get me wrong, what I saw was beautiful, just completely not what I expected. I did learn some interesting things however. Such as, you are not permitted to bring any liquids into the Hermitage. Once a crazed art fan came into the museum and splashed acid on one of the paintings, completely ruining it. So now, all liquids are confiscated at the entrance, along with any bags that are carried on your back ~ purses must be tiny to be permitted in. I also learned that while Catherine the Great was there, they build bridge across to another building which spans one of the canals. Despite assurances that the bridge was safe, nobody wanted to use it. So under the guise of having a big party, she called them to the other side of the bridge and while all of them were in the middle crossing the canal, she locked them in there and they had to remain there overnight. Thus proving that the structure was sound as it held a number of people for a number of hours... Can you believe that?!?
Anyway, I didn't take many photos as there was just too much to look at, but here are a few to give you an idea of what the building was like. Oh yeah, there are over 1000 rooms and apparently people get lost ~ true story, we left someone in there. He went to find his wife after she wandered away from the group. She found the group, he didn't. He had to overnight in St. Peterburg and join us later... Can you imagine?!?
Alas, this was not quite the case. What I did discover however was that the Hermitage is made up of 5 buildings, one of which is the Winter Place. The big draw however, is that inside these 5 buildings, they have an incredible amount of Art. Yes, ART. It was the Louvre only in Russia.
So not being a big fan of the painted portrait, I found myself walking around in the tour with these wireless receivers to hear the tour guide, learning about artists and his interpretation of the art. While for some I am sure this is quite fascinating, for me, I was disappointed I wasn't going to see the incredible opulance of a Royal Palace. Guess I really need to read the excursion description next time! But I did see the Winter Palace...
Now don't get me wrong, what I saw was beautiful, just completely not what I expected. I did learn some interesting things however. Such as, you are not permitted to bring any liquids into the Hermitage. Once a crazed art fan came into the museum and splashed acid on one of the paintings, completely ruining it. So now, all liquids are confiscated at the entrance, along with any bags that are carried on your back ~ purses must be tiny to be permitted in. I also learned that while Catherine the Great was there, they build bridge across to another building which spans one of the canals. Despite assurances that the bridge was safe, nobody wanted to use it. So under the guise of having a big party, she called them to the other side of the bridge and while all of them were in the middle crossing the canal, she locked them in there and they had to remain there overnight. Thus proving that the structure was sound as it held a number of people for a number of hours... Can you believe that?!?
Anyway, I didn't take many photos as there was just too much to look at, but here are a few to give you an idea of what the building was like. Oh yeah, there are over 1000 rooms and apparently people get lost ~ true story, we left someone in there. He went to find his wife after she wandered away from the group. She found the group, he didn't. He had to overnight in St. Peterburg and join us later... Can you imagine?!?
posted by Carrie @ 6:22 AM
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