Hermitage post #2

Where do I start?

How about with: 'my feet hurt'! And so does my back (bad hotel bed), my shoulders (carrying heavy bag for 20kms a day) and my legs (going up and down stairs trying to find rooms that end up being closed off).

Peter the Great was fascinated by all things new and particularly scientific. He even self-trained in dentistry, anatomy, carpentry and metalurgy. Here are some interesting tools from his collection...



rolling mills




a lathe or mill

and a close up




Being a jeweller, I was fascinated by the details of the palace that other people probably don't even notice, like...



door handles



and hinges.


The interiors of the palace are amazing. Apparently Catherine the Great redecorated and got rid of most of the baroque decor but a lot of it remains...







yes, those walls are gold.


And, of course, there's the art and artefacts. The well known highlights of the collection can be seen at the Hermitage website but here's just a taste of a few things that caught my eye...




for some reason, I was intrigued by these earrings, perhaps because they look like maggots and then I started thinking about a whole range of maggot jewellery...

They say about the Hermitage "There are art museums, and then there's the Hermitage" so when I saw this, I thought. "There are folding chairs and then there's this folding chair..."






a child's sleigh




pierced and carved ivory.


And, I'm not sure but, are these pineapples...?






So, I saw more today but I'll have to post about that tomorrow. The Hermitage reminded me of my experiences in Ireland; there are so many site of archeological significance there that most of them haven't been examined or documented. You'll be walking around the countryside and stumble upon a cairn or standing stone or burial mound. It won't be signposted and it won't be on your map. The same thing happens at the Hermitage. You'll be wandering around and spot something really interesting in a corner, there won't be a sign, it won't be behind glass and the babooshka (see definition 2 at the link) will just grunt when you try and sign language your interest in it.

One last thing...



I found a bride in the dunny

a

.