St. Petersburg – Second Day

Second day in  St. Petersburg was spent with Jenya, Young Life’s Russia Director.  An attorney by education, but totally committed to Young Life in her time.

We queued up at 9:30AM for the 10:AM opening of the Hermitage.  This museum, along with the New York Metropolitan, and the  Louvre in Paris comprise the three greatest museums in the world. The Hermitage began as the Winter Palace for Peter the Great in the mid-18th Century.  It contains 2.7 million items.  If you spent only 10 seconds viewing each item, it would take you over 3 1/2 years to see everything.

Not only is the art incredible, but the building itself is difficult to image.  All the floors are inlayed wood; gold, crystal and marble are everywhere.  Quality and quantity of art are evident.  Two rooms of Picasso, 26 pieces by Rembrandt.  Rubens, Monet, Matisse, the list goes on and on.  Truly overwhelming.

All the floors, everywhere were inlayed like this.  Stunning.

 

I had to include this picture. A couple of years ago, in this gallery, someone threw acid on a Rembrandt.  This gal is security, she had a very mean looking baton, handcuffs and she is armed, but, she is in heals!

In the gallery with all the “Knights in Shining Armor”