Today, Princess and I went back to the Hermitage with our Russian friend, who I am calling from hereon out "Miss USA". It was fantastic fun; we managed to walk through every single hall in the Hermitage (seriously), and I got to work on my awful posing skills. (No, you cannot see pictures. I'm burning the sweater I wore today as soon as I get the chance and/or excuse.)
However, I thought I would mention a couple of interesting things that I learned today, seeing as there is not time tonight to write a review of the Hermitage:
1) Russians do, in fact, have speed limits, but they are apparently hidden (I've never seen one in my entire time here, nor have I seen anyone following them);
2) Every museum has stray cats in order to keep down the rat problem-- apparently, the Hermitage is home to 40 stray cats for that very purpose;
3) Russian eggs are sold in quantities of 10;
4) It's a universally recognized fact that Russians entirely disregard the law, especially small ones (such as no stilettos while in the Hermitage);
5) Catherine the Great used to take really expensive, ritzy chairs with her whenever she would travel with the troops;
6) People in the Caucuses mummified their dead much like the Egyptians, including their horses;
7) There is a painter in the Hermitage who seriously needs to thing of new things to paint (almost every single painting of his is "Nude Woman Doing _________________");
8) I fail at recognizing super famous paintings, but succeed at recognizing things that are super shiny;
9) There is nothing more awesome than making pirozhki that look beautiful, taste great and are super soft;
10) Museums are a FANTASTIC source of exercise (you walk and walk, and never sit down, but hardly notice until the end when your feet want to fall off); and
11) Maps of anything are amazing things, especially the Hermitage-- I think "Hermitage" might secretly be the world for "super ritzy museum-labyrinth that gets you lost even when looking at a map".
These are 11 of the interesting things that I learned today. (Aren't I oddly specific...) There will be more tomorrow-- and hopefully, it'll be more profound than today. But other than the lack of sweater burning, today was quite satisfying; and, at the end of a rather productive weekend, it was great to be able to knock off one more item from my list of things to do.
However, I thought I would mention a couple of interesting things that I learned today, seeing as there is not time tonight to write a review of the Hermitage:
1) Russians do, in fact, have speed limits, but they are apparently hidden (I've never seen one in my entire time here, nor have I seen anyone following them);
2) Every museum has stray cats in order to keep down the rat problem-- apparently, the Hermitage is home to 40 stray cats for that very purpose;
3) Russian eggs are sold in quantities of 10;
4) It's a universally recognized fact that Russians entirely disregard the law, especially small ones (such as no stilettos while in the Hermitage);
5) Catherine the Great used to take really expensive, ritzy chairs with her whenever she would travel with the troops;
6) People in the Caucuses mummified their dead much like the Egyptians, including their horses;
7) There is a painter in the Hermitage who seriously needs to thing of new things to paint (almost every single painting of his is "Nude Woman Doing _________________");
8) I fail at recognizing super famous paintings, but succeed at recognizing things that are super shiny;
9) There is nothing more awesome than making pirozhki that look beautiful, taste great and are super soft;
10) Museums are a FANTASTIC source of exercise (you walk and walk, and never sit down, but hardly notice until the end when your feet want to fall off); and
11) Maps of anything are amazing things, especially the Hermitage-- I think "Hermitage" might secretly be the world for "super ritzy museum-labyrinth that gets you lost even when looking at a map".
These are 11 of the interesting things that I learned today. (Aren't I oddly specific...) There will be more tomorrow-- and hopefully, it'll be more profound than today. But other than the lack of sweater burning, today was quite satisfying; and, at the end of a rather productive weekend, it was great to be able to knock off one more item from my list of things to do.
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