A Day at the Musuem

An Afternoon at the Museum:

No visit to Petersburg would be complete without a visit to the Hermitage Museum. It is without a doubt one of the top five museums in the world, perhaps the finest. The Winter Palace of the Tsar alone is worth the price of admission, but the exhibits themselves are stunning. Here you will find everything from ancient Egyptian sarcophagi to Leonardo de Vinci; from Rembrand and Van Dyck to Goya and Diego Velazquez; from Renoir and Monet to Van Gogh, as well as the art treasures of the Royalty of Russia from Peter the Great to Nicholas II.

The great square before the winter palace is watched over by an angel holding a cross atop the Alexander Column.  

Aurora at the Winter Place...

The square is huge. The exhibits of 19th century French impressionist painters from Monet to Van Gogh are so popular that they have been moved to this building across from the winter palace.  Flash photography was forbidden and, as my camera was new, I couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash, so I avoided taking many photos. A friend took some with a cellphone which I will post later. Here's a bust of Catherine the Great sculpted by Houdon. Houdon's busts of French philosopher Voltaire are quite famous and there are a few of them at the Hermitage.