Bronze Horseman

This evening, we strolled to the Neva to view Falconet's Bronze Horseman (would be better without the snake, we felt), then had dinner in a nice Italian restaurant (Да Винчи) opposite the hotel (since the waitress didn't notice us when we came in, it seemed that we Officially Didn't Exist).  Nick started learning Cyrillic in the ultra-violet light.  But, uh-oh, there's mist rollin' in from the sea - it seems the smoke from the peat fires may have followed us even here...

Hermitage 2

In the state rooms, there was also an excellent mechanical peacock, which Catherine the Great bought from Potemkin.  Nick said, 'I will buy you a bigger peacock.'

The Hermitage

Having booked our tickets online, we waltzed past the queue and into the Hermitage.  First to the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, then to the State Rooms, then to the Rembrandts and finally to the Italian section.  Particular favourites:  Titian's and Rembrandt's versions of Danäe, Andrea del Sarto's Madonna and Child with SS. Elizabeth, Catherine and John the Baptist, Bernardino Luini's Saint Catherine, Guercino's Assumption, Capriolo's Portrait of a Man, Monet's Dame dans le jardin, Derain's Route en Montagne, Kees van Dongen's Danseuse Rouge and Albert Marquet's Bay of Naples.

Titian, Danae

Rembrandt, Danae

Andrea del Sarto, Madonna and Child
with SS. Elizabeth, Catherine and John the Baptist

Bernardino Luini, St Catherine

Monet, Dame dans le jardin

Albert Marquet, Bay of Naples

Kees van Dongen, Danseuse Rouge

The Escape Train

Arrived at midnight last night in St. Petersburg.  Fab fast, air-conditioned train from Moscow through birch forests - only took 4 hours.  Business class was strangely full of very young businessmen (average age 0-2) - one family told us that this was the 'escape train' out of smoky Moscow.  And now - fresh, breathable air!  Hurrah!