Protest in the Palace Square!

So, yesterday, was the scheduled whirlwind tour of the Hermitage with the Smolny group.

Yesterday was also an anti-Putin protest in Palace Square. (That would be right next to the Hermitage.)

Hannah and I took the number 7 autobus from the far end of world (a.k.a. Primorskaya) to the Hermitage. When we arrived at the Palace Embankment, which -- along with the Palace Square and the upper end of Nevsky -- was crawling with Russian cops in riot gear. Incidentally, all them seemed to be in a great mood. I'm not being sarcastic, they were just standing in line telling each other jokes and laughing. Hannah and I were politely barred from entering the Palace Square, where we were supposed to be meeting. I called our assistant baby-sitter who had no idea that there was a rally.

In the meantime, Hannah got very happy and started taking photos. If she posts them, I'll post links.

Hermitage. Whirlwind tour. Most of the art we saw on it was just the Italian collection, which isn't really my thing. Western classical religious art just disturbs me.

Da Vinci worked very small, by the way.

Planning to go back again, since my student I.D. gets me in free.