Bring on the revolution.

A visit to St Petersburg without visiting the Hermitage is supposedly sacrilege. On a rare sunny day spending it indoors seemed equally like sacrilege but the culture won out. The plan was to get there early to mitigate against the worst of the queues. On approach that seemed a forlorn hope, a mammoth queue snaking out of the front. Thankfully that was the tour parties. Took a punt on the machines - didn't seem too bad, though there was little movement. Transpired the automatic machines didn't start till the manned terminals. Bizarrely, just as we were getting close the family in front seemed to opt for the long manual version. Better for us. Made it in by 11 - 30 min wait - not bad. Maze like structure of the place meant mapwork was essential. Spent a bit of time awestruck by the oppulence of the place - completely understood why there was a revolution - the riches seemed obscene but also impressively ornate. Managed to take in the Peacock clock & the Da Vinci room but by now the tour parties were taking on the persona of the devil. If I got out of here without inflicting pain on someone it would be a major achievement. Blocking corridors, barging in front of you, taking vast amounts of unnecessary photos... Retired to the rammed cafe, with nowhere near enough seating, for a sarnie - floor would have to suffice. Liz was keen to see some impressionistic stuff so up & down we traipsed through the French & Dutch sections. Turns out it was in the Workers Quarters - a separate museum. Tried to find the Golden room - turns out that was a guided tour that had to be booked separately. To top it off the Feberge egg that was supposed to be in room 302 was nowhere to be seen. Time to go. Back to the hotel to cool down.Read more