We awoke dreadfully early to go out for breakfast together at a local café. I ate some pancakes with jam accompanied by delicious fresh orange juice and super-strong coffee.
I was exhausted. E and I parted ways, him to work and me, back to the hotel for a luxurious 1 hour nap as I didn’t think the coffee had any chance in keeping me awake for the next 15 hours. I woke up feeling rested but chilled, so I climbed into my trusty long johns to restart the day. It had started snowing during my nap and I knew the weather must be warmer than before. I hoped the long johns were a smart idea as I’d planned to be indoors most of the day.
Having recharged, I walked a couple of kilometers to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. I knew I had found it when I spotted a line-up that went about 300 meters from the entrance. I skeptically joined the back of the line and was instantly glad for my long johns. Shortly after arriving, I was no longer the last in line (phew) when woman spoke to me in Russian. We understood each other’s misery and hunkered down for the wait.
The snow began to fall as if it was pouring rain. For the first 20 minutes the line only shortened when people gave-up and left. 45 minutes later, I was in the home stretch. However, now I could see all the budding that was going on at the front of the line. I really don’t know why other people let this happen, but I believe Evgueni is right: “First and foremost, people care only for themselves”. His theory was proved to me twice over as I saw that people kept budders behind them by pressing more tightly into the crowd and keeping their elbows sharp. I found this quiet revenge comforting and the tightening crowd was fine with me as my long johns could only do so much at this point.
An hour after arriving, I was finally past the main gate. I felt comforted again as the group that I was let in with uniformly and simultaneously began a funny dance of stomping snowy feet, wiggling bodies, dusting-off accumulated snow and dashing for the ticket booth. I was not alone! Ahh, my frozen comrades!
The museum was great. I took it all in blissfully and calmly. It was comprehensive and wonderful.
A special Picasso exhibit was featured throughout a 3rd of the museum and I relished in his artistic evolution. There were sketches and paintings depicting Picasso’s various epochs, wooden, plaster and assorted metal sculptures and even a film. Eventually, I realized I was starving and grabbed a cheap and tasty lunch. I then continued absorbing the Ancient Greek and Egyptian sections of the museum.
Before I knew it, most of the day had passed and I had yet to go to the neighbouring Museum containing private art collections. I needed to get a healthy dose of my favourite Impressionist artists!
I wandered around some small side streets for about 15 minutes only to find that the museum I was looking for was right next-door to the first. Having thought that the ticked I bought included this museum as well as some others; I had a minor “altercation” with an angry old lady at the museum before I was charged for a new ticket. Rather indifferent to the interaction, I excitedly charged into the museum. I found what I was looking for: A wonderful dose of Renoir, Monet, Chagall, Rodin and many other artists. I fell in love with some of Renoir’s paintings all over again. The colours, the intimate personal touch he has… ahhh!!! And Rodin ~ to show such purity, soft, gentle and loving emotion in STONE is truly a talent. What an emotional experience!
I walked home enthusiastically and energized. I took in the crowd of people heading home from work for the weekend. The city was now warmer and had a fresh, clean coat of snow. The 8 lanes of traffic chaos was a minimal background muffle and the streetlights shone on glistening snow as it fell.
Evgueni and I went to a chain Restaurant we’ve been to before in St. Petersburg. This place is called “Elki Palki” which literally translates to “Pines sticks” or the equivalent of the English expressions “Fiddle Sticks” or “nuts”, or “darn it”. I had borsch, mashed potatoes and rice with carrots. To drink we had traditional Wonder berry juice. Yum!!
On the way home we stopped in a magnificent market. It is similar the Bon Marché in Paris. And to give you an idea of it’s beauty, it belongs to the Elysée brothers. The décor was extravagant and more like an opera house with enormous glorious chandeliers, colourful walls with gold leaf treatments and scalloped columns rising up about 12-meters to an ornately decorated ceiling. We splurged and bought some treats and bread and cheese for Sunday’s breakfast.
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