We saw Peterhof – the summer palace – in the last post, well the Hermitage was the winter palace of the Tzars and Tzarinas. I don’t know where they resided in the fall and spring…

 

 

 

 

Anyway, I also mentioned Empress Elizabeth/Elizabeth-the-Spender and her dresses. Well evidently Catherine II who ruled Russia from 1762 – 1796 had her own indulgences. After ousting her husband from his position of Tzar and having him exiled (he died shortly after in an “unfortunate hunting accident”), Catherine took over as the Russian Ruler and began collecting lovers, hmmm. Word is that she had a great many and that she promoted her “favorites” to high ranking positions over her 34 year reign (just a bit of interesting trivia to spice up the tour).

Luckily Catherine II also collected art which gave St. Petersburg its start for the magnificent Hermitage.

The Hermitage boasts over 3,000,000 items in its collection – just thinking about that exhausts me. Luckily Irina, our St. Petersburg guide, just hit the highlights and here are some of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and exquisite tapestries

 

 

And of course the incredible paintings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both of these are da Vinci I thought the comparison was interesting.

So ends a lovely morning at the Hermitage, now how about lunch.

Actually, this wasn’t the same day, but the experience was so fun and worth sharing.

Kori took us to an inn that is a replica of an historic home of a wealthy farmer and it was enchanting.

The décor was charming and the food (dark brown bread with an incredible sour cream/chipped beef/ herb spread, rich mushroom soup, pickled garlic & other vegetables, potatoes, sausage and a yuuummmy raspberry tart dessert) delicious!!!!!

 

What a wonderfully fun way to enjoy a meal and the local culture!