Sunday, June 05, 2005
St. Petersburg, day three
I spent the entire day in the Hermitage. I had decided to see as much as possible so my plan was to bypass the first floor and concentrate on the second and third floors, which include the Rembrandt room, Italian art and 20th-century paintings. I more or less saw every room on these floors that was open today. I would have been able to see more if I hadn't spent so much time figuring out how to get through the confusing complex of buildings that constitute the museum. What really amazed me was the museum's main structure, the Winter Palace. It blows Petrodvorets out of the water. Most of all, I liked the Rembrandt room and the galleries of 20th-century European art, especially Matisse. I regret not having more time to see the museum's extensive Asian collection.
Golden Drawing Room, Winter Palace
In the palace I tried to take a lot of photographs, so when I came home I could compare them to the locations shot in the remarkable film "Russian Ark". (This is the first film to be shot in only one take, and it was filmed inside the Hermitage.)
Armorial Hall
I spent the evening hanging out in the common area of my hostel. There were a couple of Australians and a young math teacher from Northern California. Like so many other Aussies I had met, these two were working in Britain before traveling through Europe. They do this because work is easier to find in Britain, the wages are higher, and it is cheaper to fly to the Continent from the U.K. than from Australia. Many have "ancestry" visas that allow them to spend up to five years in England.
Malachite Hall
We talked about the itineraries of some travelers that were passing through this hostel. They were incredible. Many were going to go on the Trans-Siberian Railway. One German planned to come back to Europe via the Silk Road, through China and the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. One young man from France was going to stay in Mongolia for two months; in fact, he planned to buy a house there! The most amazing story I heard was about a woman who had gone from the Alps to Russia by bicycle. Her only comment about the journey was, "After being in the Alps, it all looks the same." I was impressed by all these tales, but I hope that these people's experiences amount to more than material for cocktail parties.
The Dance by Matisse
