Canal cruise and the Hermitage

Day 2 in St. Petersburg started with a canal cruise.
We went on the Moika river and the Neva. The Neva is huge.
These three - the Plowmans from the London area - were our lunch buddies.
They were really really lovely people.

I'm not sure the name of this but it used to be an orphanage.
New mothers who felt they couldn't take care of their babies could come to the building, ring a bell and a basket would be lowered from the second floor. They would put in their babies and the basket would be raised - never to be seen again.

Some of these bridges were so low.

A typical cityscape seen from the Neva.
Looks so blah with the gray skies.

On one of these bridges, brides and grooms will put padlocks for
good luck - to keep their marriage safe and strong.
Newlyweds have a lot of territory to cover on their wedding day.

The Hermitage Museum consists of numerous buildings and miles of artwork.
We were there on a fairly cool day and thank goodness.
Air circulation is nowhere to be seen here.

So much to see it's overwhelming.
You could spend a month here and not see it all.
Our guide had to take classes here for a month to
qualify as a guide just for this museum alone.

My cute mom.
Let me tell you - she is a trooper of a tourist.
I couldn't keep up with her.

They have such beautiful inlaid floors.

Medusa mosaic

A very famous hallway in the Hermitage.
Vika, our guide, was so thrilled that no one was in it for us to be able to take photos.
She said it'd been 7 months since she last saw it empty.

Michelangelo's "The Crouching Boy"

Don't forget to look up.
Some fantastic decorations.

Rembrandt's "Portrait of an Old Man in Red"

This officer didn't want me to take his picture.
I can't imagine why.