Sunday, November 4, 2007

My Hermitage Visit

For a field trip, my mom took me to the Hermitage that was the Winter Palace for the tsars in St. Petersburg. Now it is an art museum. We were going to look at the paintings. From the outside the Hermitage is green and designed with gold patterns. Inside the courtyard was a tiny park surrounded by gravel. When I walked into the courtyard, I felt like I was exploding with excitement.

Inside I walked up a luxurious staircase after I got my ticket. Red carpets on the stairs made the stairs grand. The railing had been created of the finest wood and were just as magnificent as the steps that were made of marble. I felt like a queen. I loved going up the stairs.

Then I saw a room that had red walls. Hung on them were pictures of Catherine's generals. Catherine the Great knew all her generals by name. And in that room were hundreds of portraits -- one for each general. I think that it would have been hard for her to remember their names. They all looked the same because most had the same sideburns and short hair. Most of them wore a grumpy expressions. The room was as big as three big playgrounds.

At the end of my stay, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the entire Hermitage. When I go again, I want to see the Egyptian part because the mummies and coffins are there. As I left, my eyes were round with seeing so many pretty things.