This morning we
walked back to the Winter Palace, but this time we joined the rather
long queue to get in (although from what we can gather, it was
actually a very short queue compared to high season). Luckily, an
announcement in English (itself a rare thing) alerted us to the fact
that there was another (shorter) queue on the other side of the
courtyard, and not long after, we were inside.
After handing our many coats and bags over to the seriously overworked old woman in the cloakroom, we headed into the Hermitage Museum proper – and our jaws quickly hit the floor and stayed there. Grand doesn't even come close – this is a palace first and foremost, with all of the ostentation and finery that that implies. But of course, it's also one of the world's oldest and largest museums, with the world's largest collections of paintings, not to mention the various antiquities, armour and weapons, jewellery, furnishings... It's actually all rather overwhelming – an assault on the senses and the psyche – and unlike any other museum you'll ever visit. I think you would really need several child-free days to properly do it justice. We didn't even come close.
But we did our best, slowly making our way from room to room, taking in the Leonardos, the over-the-top furnishings, the mosaics, the statues, and the rooms themselves.By the time we reached the far end of the building, the girls were pretty over it all, so we started to head back towards the entrance. I should point out at this point that we only really explored the first floor, which houses the European fine art and the 'palace interiors'. Most of the late 19th century and early 20th century art – which is usually displayed on the second floor - had been moved elsewhere (see below), but in its place was a pretty impressive temporary exhibition of screenprints and lithographs by artists including Dali, Picasso, Miro, Braque and Matisse.
After handing our many coats and bags over to the seriously overworked old woman in the cloakroom, we headed into the Hermitage Museum proper – and our jaws quickly hit the floor and stayed there. Grand doesn't even come close – this is a palace first and foremost, with all of the ostentation and finery that that implies. But of course, it's also one of the world's oldest and largest museums, with the world's largest collections of paintings, not to mention the various antiquities, armour and weapons, jewellery, furnishings... It's actually all rather overwhelming – an assault on the senses and the psyche – and unlike any other museum you'll ever visit. I think you would really need several child-free days to properly do it justice. We didn't even come close.
But we did our best, slowly making our way from room to room, taking in the Leonardos, the over-the-top furnishings, the mosaics, the statues, and the rooms themselves.By the time we reached the far end of the building, the girls were pretty over it all, so we started to head back towards the entrance. I should point out at this point that we only really explored the first floor, which houses the European fine art and the 'palace interiors'. Most of the late 19th century and early 20th century art – which is usually displayed on the second floor - had been moved elsewhere (see below), but in its place was a pretty impressive temporary exhibition of screenprints and lithographs by artists including Dali, Picasso, Miro, Braque and Matisse.
By the time we had
checked out that exhibition, the girls were really flagging, but we
did manage to get them to quickly tour the museum's also very
impressive Egyptian collection on the ground floor, which included an
unwrapped mummy – much to Zoe's horror – and some amazing
sarcophogi. Then, after gathering up our bits and pieces from the
still-harried old woman in the cloakroom, we headed across the square
to the General Staff Building, which is where the modern art was
currently being displayed. There, we eventually (the building is a
right maze and there was little rhyme or reason or signage to suggest
where things could be found) found an impressive collection of
Impressionists, post-Impressionists and others – Monet, Renoir, van
Gogh, Gaugin, Kandinsky, Matisse, Degas (in most cases, a room of
each).
And then, finally, it was time to return to the hotel. Despite the fact that it was a Sunday evening, our lovely supermarket was still open, so we went back in to grab some stuff for dinner. Kate was horrified that her beloved beetroot coleslaw was no longer available, but did manage to find an alternative version (and was horrified to discover, back at the hotel, that the alternative version came with chunks of pickled fish – which I, personally, think was an improvement). And so, finally, back at the hotel, we ate in our room as a light snow began to fall.
And then, finally, it was time to return to the hotel. Despite the fact that it was a Sunday evening, our lovely supermarket was still open, so we went back in to grab some stuff for dinner. Kate was horrified that her beloved beetroot coleslaw was no longer available, but did manage to find an alternative version (and was horrified to discover, back at the hotel, that the alternative version came with chunks of pickled fish – which I, personally, think was an improvement). And so, finally, back at the hotel, we ate in our room as a light snow began to fall.
Excellent photos ! Did you find the music room with the amazing acoustics ?
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