The Hermitage
Trip Start
Sep 18, 2008
1
3
9
Trip End
Sep 26, 2008
St. Petersburg,
Central Russia,
Russian Federation
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Plaza
The entrance to the Hermitage was at the Winter Palace building, from the side facing the Palace Square opposite the sweeping façade along the river. Here the sprawling General Staff and Ministry of War buildings embraced the plaza where kids were practicing rollerblading stunts. A radio station sponsoring some kind of youth event was handing out free caps; they wouldn't give us any until Albina asked. This was the site to historic events such as Bloody Sunday in 1905 and the October Revolution in 1917, as well as the Communist rallies and anti-government demonstrations held much later on. But today it was a teenager hang-out and a tourist attraction.We walked through the portico supported by enormous Atlantises, into the interior courtyard. Here we entered the building and walked up the grand staircase to begin our tour of the museum.
Hermitage - staircase
Albina brought us to the building's most notable rooms, each designed in a different theme and presented with lavish detail and painstaking craftsmanship. The Pavilion Hall was adorned with chandeliers and white marble, the Raphel Loggias was comprised of numerous replicas of Raphel's frescos at the Vatican, and the Small Throne room was an opulent stage to a golden throne. After a while my eyes were weary from taking pictures, and after shifting from one spectacle to another I realized I hadn't bothered to look at the art.
Hermitage
Hermitage
Hermitage
Hermitage
Hermitage
