The City of Peter

Old St Petersburg remains a beautiful stage set … but to the Russians it is not what Rome is to the Italians or Paris to the French. The decisions are made in the Kremlin. The city of Peter remains a museum, open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

~Joseph Wechsberg

We decided to do the Hermitage today, that gargantuan museum that spans the Winter Palace and 2 adjacent buildings. I had not forgotten the opulence of the setting, dripping in gold, rooms plastered with gems. But it was still amazing to me to see it again with my own eyes. No description can do it justice. Mom and Dad were simply dumbfounded.

Just a little anecdote of what its like. We entered a room that was a riot of parquet floor, gilded walls, carved and painted ceilings, delicately chaised doors that were polished to a mirror-like finish. Lest you not notice the art (after all this is a gallery), there are two da Vinci’s in the room. Two. Things here are measured in large amounts. 2 rooms of Picassos. 2 rooms of Van Gogh. A room full of Cezanne. 2 rooms of Rembrandts. 2 rooms of Gauguins. The list goes on and on.

We spent about 6 hours there, and saw a good deal of the display. Note that – after six hours we did not manage to see the whole building.

Well, that pretty much did it for that day – as you can imagine.