Saturday 25th August- The Hermitage

The Hermitage, it is so famous, it hardly needs any introduction. Yet, I didn't know what to expect. After having visited the i Ufizi in Florence in 2016, I couldn't imagine anything to compare to this marvel of an institution.

Where on earth do you start?
I have been writing a lot recently, especially poetry related to Art with Andy Willoughby and his brilliant Ekphrasis courses at the University of Teesside.
I was hoping to leave St Petersburg with some more inspiration,and after this visit and the following visit to the Modern Art museum. I was not disappointed. Here are but a few of the masterpieces. Of course just as in any gallery, it is impossible to take it all in. But any advice? Yes book online as we did. Not a queue in sight!

Saturday 25th August- Park Run

Park run " Elagin Island'.
This was one of the main reasons for coming to Russia via Saint Petersburg.
Park Run has become a phenomenon. I was asked if I was a Park Run tourist , I suppose I am really. After running my first Park Run in Russia in April 2018, in the very famous Gorky Park, I am blown away with the hospitality and friendliness of Park runners around the world.
We arrived at Elagin Island in reasonably good time, to see that everyone was wearing a party hat. Nothing new there, there is always a celebration to be celebrated with cake at a Park Run!
Anyway it was their 4th birthday.

As I walked through the gate, I stopped in y tracks as a red squirrel ran in front of me.

Olga my colleague was a little surprised at how excited I was. I guess she didn't realise that red squirrels are as rare as the proverbial Rocking Horse Shxx in the UK.

As usual we had a piece of cake and a cup of tea after the Park run.

Well some things are meant to happen, I guess. 

I was offered a job , to start as soon as possible with the Foreign Language team at one of the City's Universities. Watch this space, You never know. It could only happen at a Park Run!

In the evening we went on a canal cruise also on the Neva.

St. Petersburg Friday 24th August

So after a really long stay at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. I arrived early Friday morning in St Petersburg.

My hotel was in the centre of the city in an area where the streets are named after Poets and Writers.

This became HQ.

The first thing we did was to discover the amazing Nevsky Prospect , the heartbeat of the city.

This lead us of course to the highlight for me the Hermitage museum and Art gallery, said to be the most important in the world.

St Petersburg is described as the Venice of Russia. The main artery being the Neva river.

The famous Singer building

The Hermitage

The Neva

Saint Petersburg

OK, it's true, the top of my bucket list has now been completed. St Petersburg!
Wow!
Is it a dream?

I was planning to come here in April 2018 on route to Kostroma with the team of volunteer English teachers from Durham.
However, politics and poisonings got in the way and I decided it would be safer and sensible to skip the visit, it also didn't help that the British Embassy was closed in the Tit for Tat games that governments play.

Well OK it didn't come home.

Well it didn't come home, but we gave it our best. The Russian World Cup of 2018 will be remembered for a long long time.

Edinburgh August 2018

SO I made a trip to Edinburgh in order to attend the Russian via office.
A complicated process that means I need to attend in person.

The office is situated near the Hibs. ground of Easter road.

I then went on a tour of the Scottish galleries. 

Starting in the National Gallery.

then to the Modern Art Gallery and then to the Portrait gallery

THE MONARCH OF THE GLEN

Edwin Landseer

A painting that really moved me was also being displayed att he National, yet it was part of an exhibition from the Gallery of Modern Art.

ALEPPO 

by Jenny Saville

Click here for a link

Reverend Robert Walker (1755 - 1808) Skating on Duddingston Loch

                                    Artist:

Sir Henry RaeburnScottish (1756 - 1823