02 July 2008: Hermitage, again

I believe the technical term for the size of the Hermitage is “gi-normous.” Today I took trip number two, this time with Daniel, Henry, and Claudiu. It was a much nicer day, and the line was much shorter. The two, I suppose, have something to do with each other. Sadly, I was caught with my camera this time and was asked to put it in storage or pay the extra hundred rubles. So, no pictures for you today . . . except for the one at right. Remember how there used to be a different entrance to the museum when part of it was still a palace? This is that entrance. It's called the Portico of the Atlantes.

It is nearly impossible to keep together when everyone has their own interests and starts wandering off on their own, so we agreed on a meet-up time and dispersed. Henry and Claudiu headed off in the direction of the exhibition hall (featuring palatial tents) while Daniel and I went to go find the impressionists and modernists. The last time I was here, I had only found these as it was time to be going. It was great to be able to spend more time with Monet, Gauguin, Cezanne, Pissarro, Picasso, Renoir, Degas, and the rest. I really love that period. After that, it was down to the basement to see ancient artifacts from the Golden Hordes, Babylon, and Byzantium. Time flies when you’re in a gigantic museum, so that’s really all we had time for.

On our way out, we found the entirety of the Hermitage surrounded by militia. We were only allowed to leave through a small pathway leading out along the building. I stopped to ask one of the guards what was going on. He looked kind of surprised that I was talking to him and, after a pause in which he seemed to consider whether he should respond, muttered something incomprehensible. I’m still not sure what was going on there.

If I’m not mistaken, this is the evening where we went to a piano concert. The pianist (who’s name I will have to look up when I get home) played arrangements of Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” the Nutcracker Suite, and quite a few Rachmaninoff pieces. The Nutcracker Suite was particularly phenomenal. And, as always, tickets were super cheap. Four dollars for this one.