I arrived late Tuesday night in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), and got room at the Cuba Hostel. My throat is sore, and my nose is running and I have a cough, I’m developing a nasty cold. I’m wondering if it started because I stopped drinking vodka, which is “good for your health”, as I was doing on the train, or is it the confined space and stuffy conditions on the train.
In the morning, I am second in line for the Hermitage Museum, an hour early in the rain. But I lost my position to get an e-ticket, but machine not working. Then when I got to entrance, I had to go back to check my umbrella. It took me awhile to find the Rembrandt Room, the Hermitage is huge. Still, I was one of the first there. And I had plenty of time to admire the “Return of the Prodigal Son”, even time alone. One of primary goals for my Russian trip was to see the “Return of the Prodigal Son”. Twenty four other Rembrandt painting are at the Hermitage. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the paintings, they are glass covered to protect them. A few years back a crazy man through acid at one of the Rembrandts. The glass reflects lighting so it is not as easy to see details, and it is difficult to get photos without reflections.
I spent the whole day at the Hermitage, and still saw only a small portion of it. I could spend a week there. They have so many of the works of the world’s greatest artists, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Van Gogh, etc., etc. If anyone was a famous artist, they have some of his or her works here.
Late in the afternoon, I went to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, which has the beautiful colored spirals roof, to get a picture. But in the rain, I just could not get a good picture, the colors did not come through. It teased me all late afternoon, I would walk away and the sun would come out, so I’d walk back and it would be raining.
Overnight, Andrea had done some research, and e-mailed me a list of other works to see at the Hermitage, so I went back for a second day. I spent another whole day there, which still was not enough. They have a room full of Picassos. They have rooms full of Monet, Renoir, Matisse, many of the great artists, not only renaissance period, but 19th and early 20th century.
In the late afternoon, I played games with the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, the sun, and the rain again.
I leave for Moscow in the afternoon, so walked around St. Petersburg in the morning. It is a beautiful city. Many of the old buildings are being renovated back to their earlier grandeur. It is a canal city with boats touring around. At the Kazan Cathedral there was a wedding ceremony underway
As I got on the bus to the train station, the sun came out. I have really enjoyed my 2 ½ days in St. Petersburg, despite the rain. The train I took from St. Petersburg to Moscow was a fast train, not the 200 MPH kind, but faster than the old trains I took on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. It had a bullet train looking engine, and new modern cars. We made the 400 mile trip in 4 ½ hours.
Da Svidaniya
Jim
