HD2: Saint Petersburg - The Hermitage

4.11.12: My girls and I decided to do our own thing around town today. Our main goal for the day was to visit the Hermitage, the world-famous museum. En route, we stopped at a little restaurant for lunch/breakfast/elevensies. We had heard that these pitas with meat inside were delicious and they were inexpensive as well—we weren’t disappointed, especially when we looked at the menu and realized just what we were eating: shawarma! Iron Man’s favorite food, the food that all the Avengers eat in the last clip of the movie. I really wished I had been wearing my Captain America t-shirt. Shawarma is delicious—I truly trust Iron Man’s taste now. When we arrived at the Hermitage, we discovered huge lines into the entrance. However, Whitney discovered that if you were a Russian citizen or a student you could get a discount that could only be redeemed at the ticket office at the front of the lines; otherwise, you could buy tickets at an electronic kiosk at a regular price and skip the lines. Originally, I had heard that tickets would be around $20 if not more, but in reality the regular priced tickets at the kiosk were only 400 rubles, or around $12. As we only had a few more hours in Saint Petersburg before our bus left for Estonia, we felt this price was reasonable if it allowed us to skip the lines. The Hermitage is one of the largest art museums in the world and includes original artwork from the greats: Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, and Da Vinci, among others. Sections of the museum are the preserved living quarters of the Romanov family. These are vast halls with intricate carvings, gilded framework, and breathtaking murals and tapestries. The Armorial Hall, one of the grand ballrooms, boasted a several chandeliers, gold pillars, mirrors, and golden sculptures. It was if the Romanovs designed their palace to rival those in heaven. The main entrance boasts two grand staircases, red carpet, gilded framework, and massive sculptures. I tried to imagine myself in a beautiful ball gown and glass slippers as I descended the stair case; what a life of glamour the Romanovs must have lived—before they died gruesome deaths, of course. We only had about two hours within the walls of the Winter Palace, but one could easily spend a full day inside and still not see everything (even if they didn’t get lost, like we did, as the maps were confusing). It is easily the most gorgeous museum I’ve ever been in. I hope to go back someday. Outside the Hermitage, period-esque horse-drawn carriages waited for passengers in the vast Palace Square. I could only imagine what it must have been like to arrive in one to a royal ball or celebration. When we returned to the hostel, we learned that no one else had chosen to visit the Hermitage. We were aghast—who goes to Saint Petersburg and chooses not to visit the Hermitage? In fact, they had all simply bummed it around the city all day, without really seeing anything. I’m so grateful that my girls are my girls—they want to have the richest experience possible and I’m so glad of that. I am in love with Saint Petersburg; I hope to return someday and have more time to explore and appreciate the city’s beauty and rich history. Once we were reunited with the other group, we grabbed our bags and maneuvered the streets until we found our bus that would take us to the Russian border, and then to Tallinn, Estonia. At the border, we collected all our belongings and filed into a plain, boxy building and waited in line to go through customs. I gave the officially-garbed woman my passport, visa, migration card, and registration with Moscow State University and waited while she scanned it all, stamped my passport, tore off part of my visa, and handed it back to me. It’s so nice being legal, and for whatever reason it seems easier for foreigners to leave the country than natives. It’s almost impossible for the common Russian to get a visa to leave the country, for fear the native might be immigrating to another country. I’ve never run into problems trying to get in or out of the country, however. We boarded the bus once again only to drive a short distance before arriving at the Estonian border. This time, a young, uniformed officer boarded our bus and took our passports. When I politely asked if he needed my visa, he glared at me and barked, “No.” He was perhaps not the best introduction to Estonians, but then again I’m sure gruffness is in his job description. I don’t like anyone else having my passport in their possession, especially when I’m in limbo between Russia and Europe, so I said I silent prayer that everything would work out for everyone on the bus. Finally, my passport was returned to me (without an Estonian stamp—poop!) and we continued our journey. A few hours later, we arrived in Tallinn. I had directions to our hostel, but no one in the group (for whatever reason) was listening to me or didn’t quite grasp the idea that I knew what I was doing, until we took the wrong bus and got lost in downtown Tallinn at midnight. Eventually, we found a familiar landmark: the Viru Hotel, which was supposedly at the entrance of Vana Tallinn, or Old Town Tallinn, which was close to our hostel. As we walked past Vana Tallinn, we were greeted by quaint cafes, ancient tower walls, and romantically lit streets. My mood instantly lifted at the prospect of exploring this area when the sun rose in the morning. Finally, we found our hostel: The Monk’s Bunk, which is conveniently located in an alley behind the Swed Bank and next door to SexMax: Erotikkapood (Estonian for erotic shop). Hopefully, we wouldn’t have to judge a book by its cover. Fortunately, the hostel itself was extremely pleasant with a welcoming atmosphere. Josh, the Australian receptionist at the time, who, despite his curly afro, lopsided buttoned shirt, and pajama pants, was very polite, helpful, and funny; he even lent me a towel without charge because I didn’t have any cash (Euros) on me. My girls and I shared a room with three bunk beds, though we had the room reserved for just us. The beds were clean and comfortable, and the bathrooms were newly updated and the cleanest I’ve seen in a hostel. We were especially pleased with and pleasantly surprised by the shower spout connected to the wall—for the first time in three months, we wouldn’t have to hold the shower spout and wash our hair at the same time. Although we were exhausted, Shelley, Whitney and I were starving so we let Ally sleep while we ventured into Vana Tallinn for some grub. We found a classy Mexican restaurant and ordered burritos; they were large and tasty, especially with the added lime juice. We shared the restaurant with a group of British men, probably from Ireland or thereabouts. For the first time it hit us—we’re in Europe! It’s almost too wonderful to believe—all my life I’ve wanted to visit Europe, and here I was, eating tacos in Estonia, listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers on the juke box, and checking out Irishmen. My life is awesome.

ry.