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Published: June 29th 2017
Geo: 59.939, 30.3158
Its the second largest museum and art collection in the world, behind the Louvre in Paris. Apparently it would take over 6 months to view all exhibits if you spent a minute in front of each, and didn't sleep. We had cleared customs by 8.30am for our trip to the Hermitage Museum. Located on the bank of the Neva River, the building itself is a work of art. Known as the Winter Palace and decorated in the Baroque style, the building comprises of over 1,000 rooms, 1,900 windows and 114 staircases. The contoured ceilings, precious woods, chandeliers, magnificent halls, staterooms and elaborate staircases and ornaments made it a place to behold. Generally, being on a structured tour can be painful, but today we were thankful for the most part. We avoided much of the crowds by having a somewhat quick tour before doors opened to the public at 10.30. The cruise ships bring in between 10000 and 15000 people each day, making it very crowded! The majority of art on display was paintings, with some artifacts and furniture. Some of the most impressive and famous paintings coming from Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Rembrandt, Monet and Picaso. Wasn't really a
fan of the Matisse pieces. I really enjoyed the famous and amazing peacock clock, and just the grandeur of the building.
The guided walk through took us about 3 hours, but felt sufficient. There was plenty to see and plenty of information to take in. We were back aboard the ship by about 1. We polished off a quick lunch and headed for the gym. Sweaty, hot and exhausted the only valid remedy seemed to be a swim in the pool and spa. Were now back in the room. Nothings as fun as hand washing filthy laundry in the shower. Were deciding what to do with the rest of the day. Itl be a combo between dinner, a jazz show, the theatre and a board game. Tomorrows our last day in Russia and we've got a river tour and palace to explore.
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