2009 - Scandinavia - Day 11 - St. Petersburg, Russia

We went to the Hermitage museum this morning. We got there around 9:30 and had an hour to wander around the square and waterfront and get pictures. We then went inside the main plaza of the museum and waited to get our tickets. While waiting, we ran into 2 missionaries, on their way to volunteer at the museum. We talked with them for awhile; they said the foreigners are really friendly to them, but not the locals. They even got pepper sprayed. We weren’t able to get into the museum until around 11:30. There were so many people and everything seemed so disorganized, but it was worth it to go inside. I had to pay $8 to take in my camera and get pictures. We saw so many amazing rooms and paintings and decorations. It was a gorgeous palace, lived in by the Czars. We then had a bit more of a city tour, stopped at a couple sites and churches for pictures. And our last stop was at the Yusonov Palace. It was a private palace owned by a family richer than the Czars. It was nice, but after seeing the richness and luxury of the Hermitage, it couldn’t compare. Being on our feet all day with little rest time, people were tired and anxious to get back to the hotel. There is a show that some of us are going to tonight, a folk dance and singing. It was really enjoyable.