Another long day here in St. Petersburg. Well, not that long, because we woke up really late. I think we all, especially the girls, needed the sleep. We have a room that looks into an interior part of the hotel, so we had the shades drawn and the room was quite dark. As a result, we slept and slept.

We woke up and took a bus to the Hermitage. Over an HOUR AND A HALF later, after waiting in two lines for tickets, we got into the museum. It appears that some bastion of Soviet bureaucracy remains; the first line was for a ticket machine that only takes exact change (no credit cards), doesn't dispense kids' tickets, and can't handle a request for two adults plus a "photography" ticket (which allows you to take photos).

Did I mention that it was raining while we waited in said lines?

Anyhoo, we got in, finally, and started touring the immense palace/museum. It's huge, and beautiful, and overwhelming. We played a game where when we walked into a room, I'd tell the girls something they had to find (a purple vase, a three-headed dogs, etc.) and they'd have to locate it. That lasted for about half of the three hours we were there. Overall, the girls were pretty tolerant. It was a lot of walking and not always the most exciting things to see, plus you weren't allowed to eat or drink, so by the end they were pretty hungry and spent. Thank god for two crumpled bags of Goldfish that I still had from the snack bag I packed for the flight to Norway (!).

Some pics from the Hermitage:

After the Hermitage (we left at closing), we walked over to the Church on the Spilled Blood, a classic Russian church:

After the church, we went to a souvenir market. The girls agonized  – well, A agonized – over what to get. Finally, M settled on an amber charm in the shape of a star, and A got a red Faberge-style egg. They are each very happy with their choices. I got a magnet. 🙂

We then walked back toward our hotel and had dinner at a delicious Georgian restaurant. So yummy. And shockingly not that expensive.

Now back at the hotel. It's another late bedtime for the girls. Tomorrow it looks like more rain, which will put a damper on our visit to the Summer Palace. That may slide to Friday.

A has been cracking us up all week, making up funny stories and being very entertaining. Plus she sings constantly. She's been singing all of the New Orleans songs from Levine Camp. M has been doing division and has read three books on the trip. The girls are getting along wonderfully, with a few hurt feelings here and there. But generally they are enjoying each other a lot.

Here is a pic I took today that I love:

Adios.