The Hermitage from the Inside Out

Wow! and double Wow! The Hermitage has lived up to its reputation. It is a magnificent museum in the grand style and reflects artistic history from around Europe and Asia. The building itself is spectacular and the gems that it houses are amazing in terms of both quality and variety. I spent almost four hours there and barely scratched the surface but now have an appreciation of the size and complexity of the museum. It is three floors and 4 buildings with so many hallways and exhibit areas that even with a floor plan you constantly get lost and discover new things that you missed on the first time though an area.

it is imensely popular too. I was there just after 10 and it opens at 10:30. The lineup was almost the depth of the iner courtyard when I got there and double that by 10:30 so it was after 11 when I was able to get in. When I left just after 3 the lineup was still to the end of the courtyard and it is only open until 6. On top of that were all of the tours that come in a separate entrance. Some were from the cruise ships and others were city tours. I was lucky that I was relatively early and was able to get into some of the more remote sections when it became very busy.

It is certainly a place that you could spend a week in. I am looking forward to returning again next year with a game plan in place to see things in more detail. This is my second major museum in two days so my culture cup runneth over!