The day was going to be very long, getting up early and jam packed day with tourist visits. We started with visiting The Hermitage Museum which was simply amazing! I can totally recommend this experience if you are a culture vulture. The museum is filled with beautiful objects, saying this is a total understatement.
The tour lasted about three hours in which you just skim the surface of the museum. The tour was guided, and our guide was very experienced in navigating the vast halls and corridors. We appeared to zigzag the building and miss large groups of other tourists. The tour we joined was private in the fact that we gained entry to the museum before it actually opened. (A Disney Special Offer at a cost!) You are so close to the objects which is so surprising, and the scale of the place is just off the chart. The museum has the largest collection of Rembrandt paintings outside of the Netherlands. Twenty-six pieces in total. The Russians collected vast collections of art, especially Catherine the Great.
Portrait of an Old Man in Red
They say that if you looked at every artwork for one minute for 40 hours per week, it would take you 4 years to see everything they have in the collection.
After the tour we returned to the ship, getting through Russian customs was very strict, unlike we as Europeans are used to, with the freedom of movement within the European Union. Something to eat from the all day buffet, and then we got ready for the ballet performance of Swan Lake.
We all seat on wooden chairs in rows, nothing like the English Ballet. We had great seats, in the fifth row. One thing that was different from British ballet was that after each scene, the the ballerina would receive flowers and wait for applause. I think it must be a Russian thing!
I had forgot how long Swan Lake was…….it’s over three hours long, with three intervals! So quite a long time being seat on a wooden chair after having a long day on my feet. Funny enough I managed to last the whole day. And felt great the following day, so it sometimes makes sense to push yourself to do more! Even if you don’t want too, but listening to your body and understanding what you can do if pushed is very important with a health condition.
Back onboard the Disney Magic, it was 11.30pm and we felt hungry again! Maybe it was all the walking? So straight up to the late night buffet on the top deck, then bed.
Finally REST!
If you are travelling with Lupus (SLE) I would be interested to hear how you travel and manage your condition. I want to plan a long-haul trip, so any travel tips on how to get the most out of your day, would great.
Lupus Man Blog 