Thursday 3 September

I want to go to the hermitage museum today. It's a free day (1st Thursday of each month) so we need to get there early to get in line. It's open about 10:30. We take the bus (only 60c) get there about 9:50 and line is already long. It's about 11am by the time we are inside.
It's cold waiting in line. Apparently they only have 35 clear sunny days a year and lots of rain. It's really exquisite inside. Even see some Leonardo de Vinci paintings and Michael angelo sculptures. I'm hungry and exhausted my the time we finish, but we decide to check out the zoology museum just across the river. It's full of stuffed animals. Including many kiwi and 1 kakapo.
They have several mammoths. One large one, found preserved in the permafrost. So many stuffed animals of every kind. It's a bit freaky. I nap on a chair I'm so tired. On the way to the bus we go via st. Isaac's cathedral. But there appears no way to get in for free today. I'm thankful to sit on the bus till our stop. Dinner is first priority.