Day 3 - Shine

Today was a free day for us, so this post will be short on words (short that is for me) and long and amazing on photographs from our destination of the day: Winter Palace, The Hermitage. Today’s musical guide is the song “Shine” performed by the gospel group Salvador.

I woke up to another day
Another day to celebrate
Your beauty and your mystery
Is more than any eye can see

We slept in, we are sleeping on a bed that rivals the floor in hardness. Craig and I are so much back pain, that our chance for rest is a double edged sword. Our sleep is totally off with the combination of jet lag and White Nights, we just do the best we can. Last night we were up until 2:00 am and then I was awake again at 5:30 because it is full daylight at that time of the morning here. I went back to bed around 7:30 and slept until noon.

We awoke and headed straight for the metro (subway). We had no problems using the subway at all and it is about $1.00 for a one way ride anywhere in this city. The metro here is buried DEEP underground. We only had to go one stop to reach the main drag, Nevsky Prospect. We then walked a few blocks, stopped for a coffee to go (they call it “take away”) and then a few more blocks to the Hermitage.

Getting into the Hermitage was an experience in and of itself and we wasted time doing so. If you are headed there, when you enter on the square, you are likely to see a line, for which you are likely to think is where to buy tickets. It is, however that first line is for an automatic ticket dispenser and not for a real box office.

SKIP THAT LINE! Keep going into the courtyard and to the palace, where you will see a line that might seem much longer than that first line towards the front, however it is really MUCH SHORTER. There are real people on the inside selling tickets! How about that! LOL. Buy an extra ticket so you can use your camera on the inside, it is 400 Rubles to get into the Hermitage per person, and 200 more for the camera – 1000 Rubles total for two people and a camera, about $36 bucks. GREAT DEAL for what awaits you inside! Coat and bag check are free and mandatory, you will not get into the Hermitage with a back pack, as we found out after waiting in another long line. Coat and bag check are secure and just to the right downstairs as you enter. There is a sign in English saying “luggage.”

In terms of being inside, I highly suggest buying the audio tour. We were so short on time we skipped it but there are so few signs in English inside to tell you what you are looking at or where to go to find the Davinci’s and the Rembrandt’s and the famous Peacock clock belonging to Catherine II.

We spent all the time we could inside, viewing what can only be described as one of the most incredible collection of art and relics, from places far and wide, in the world. The museum is one aspects of the Hermitage, the palace is another. The ornate beauty and incredible architecture is hard to pay attention to as the art is eye level. Forgetting to look up in each room means you missed something spectacular! One of the libraries belonging to the Tzar’s in the palace was UNBELIEVABLE! The detail was just mind blowing!

With you my life is so much more
Break the chains and open doors
To a world I can't ignore

So, I will lead with pictures of that room, as I could see myself there reading for weeks and weeks.

The remainder of this post will be nothing but the pictures we took from our day at the Hermitage. I know what some of the art is, but mostly was just beautiful and I have no clue what the pieces were or from where. I will say much is Russian as that is part of the Hermitage we spent most of our time in.

Oh, before the pictures of the inside, you HAVE to see what we did when we were on a wild goose chase for the entrance to the place (on the square by the way). I fed a bottle of milk to a little baby brown Russian BEAR! OH OH OH she or he (don’t know) was so so so super cute!!! It was 200 Rubles (around 6 bucks) for me to hold and feed her. She weighed about the same as Ari! She ate like him too LOL! When the keeper placed her in my lap, she kind of growled (startled me for a moment too) and then “reached” for her bottle and ate and ate. She loved to be held and she was cuddly! OH it was so much fun to hold a little baby bear! I loved it!

BTW, one could have also chosen to hold the following, none on which caught my fancy like that little brown bear: A BIG python snake, A tropical parrot, and three sizes of monkeys on a leash.

*************BLOG POST INTERMISSION!*************

L to R: John and Nina Clark (Maryland), me and Craig (Georgia), Wendy Sauder and her parents the Witzigs from Illinois

We had the good fortune and blessings to have a group dinner with us, the Clark's, and Wendy Sauder and her parents. Wendy is here to bring her new son, Joshua, home! He will be finally free on his Gotcha Day this Friday! We had a great dinner, laughed alot (always good when one is so far from home, ones children, and here under so much high emotion).We even met up with the now famous Boris L., who has been serving us families as personal liaison here in St. Petersburg. This is the same Boris L. I wrote about HERE

Boris is the tall guy next to Craig

For your eyes, may I humbly present our time at the world famous and rightly so, State of Russia Hermitage Museum, established in 1764. A reason in and of itself to travel all of this way to see.

The Winter Palace

Now, the State Hermitage Museum

Carriage rides from a time gone by, outside the Hermitage

The flag of the Russian Federation

The gates at Winter Palace

The reading rooms of the Tzars

Ornate stone work that you will miss if you do not look up while roaming the halls of the Hermitage

This piece is from the China collection

This is an ancient crown worn by Egyptian royals

Mid 18th century Russia

Tomb for a Tzar

An ancient game, B.C.

The painting above the entrance to the many, many halls of Winter Palace

Sleigh ride anyone?

Bronze work, American artisit

Sleigh's fit for King's

A Parisian 18th century clock

Entrance to the Roman exhibit, sorry no pics allowed past this point

Early Russian Interiors

Tzar's Throne

Battle gear

Winter Palace Furnishings

One of my favorite pieces, a clock from the 18th century in Russia

Always look up, or you will miss this! EVERY room has something amazing on the ceiling

Baby bassinet for Russian royal children

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Lord let me shine
Shine like the moon
A reflection of you
All that I do
Lord let me be
A light for your truth
Light of the world
I want to be used
To shine for you

The babies of Russian royalty have slept in pure silk, and been adored and their images captured for all of time. Some are housed at the Hermitage. Yet, what about those that exist today, whose births were meant for much much more.....meant for changing hearts and minds and lives, for the better and to the glory of God.......there is a certain Little One who is very close to having a mama and a papa come for her, but they need us to be the hands and feet, now! You’d be surprised how far $5 bucks can go, when God’s army multiplies. Giving to them is giving to her, and it will change your heart to watch her come home.

CLICK HERE to be the change and help save this child

she's a princess of God

and, if you would, please add MATTHEW SOLDATKE to your prayers tonight, he is very, very sick and his parents are very, very afraid for his life tonight

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From the Marco Polo Hotel, St. Petersburg, Russia we wish you a very safe, warm and restful good night, may God Bless you!

Tomorrow, COURT!