RUSSIAN STATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM

On Friday, October 12th, we changed plans at the last minute. Instead of going out to the artist colony at Abramtsevo, and given that the weather was cold and rainy, I accompanied Andrea to the Russian State Historical Museum.

Click on the link above for more information and better photos than we took. Most of our photos were for Andrea's research, so they are details of Russian needle arts.

However, this is an interesting museum that tracks the history of the people we today call Russian back to their roots in the steppes of the Ukraine. This is territory I covered when in St. Petersburg at the historical museum in the Peter Paul Fortress, but this museum is larger and has a deeper collection.

Here are a few photos to prove that we were actually there.

STATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM. I TOOK THIS PHOTO BACK IN MID SEPTEMBER WHEN THE WEATHER WAS NICE. IT IS AN ICONIC BUILDING THAT MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE IS IN THE KREMLIN. IN FACT, IT SITS ON THE WEST END OF RED SQUARE. BTW - LENIN'S TOMB IS CURRENTLY INACCESSIBLE.

TOUR STARTS HERE IN THE GRAND ENTRANCE TO THE MUSEUM. THE GOLD ROOM IS THROUGH THE ARCH ON THE SECOND LEVEL.

CLOSE UP OF THE CEILING IN THE GRAND ENTRANCE SHOWING THE LINEAGE OF THE TSARS AND THE ROYAL FAMILY.

FOR LOUISE: ST. GEORGE SLAYING THE DRAGON. ST. GEORGE IS ALSO THE PATRON SAINT OF MOSCOW.

WILL UNDER THE ARCH LEADING OUT OF THE VLADIMIR ROOM INTO THE NIEZHNIY NOVGOROD ROOM.

ONE OF THE MANY SHINY THINGS IN THE GOLD ROOM.

SOME FABULOUS MEDALS IN SEARCH OF NEW CHESTS UPON WHICH TO BE PINNED.

THE PHOTO DOES NOT DO JUSTICE TO THE SHIMMER OF THIS DIAMOND RING IN THE GOLD ROOM.

THIS WAS A PUMPKIN UNTIL SOMEONE TURNED IT INTO A ROYAL CARRIAGE.

HARD TO SEE, BUT THIS IS PETER THE GREAT'S WINTER SLEDGE. 

KUKLA. ONE OF THE NEARLY HUNDRED PHOTOS ANDREA TOOK OF THE MANY EXAMPLES OF RUSSIAN NEEDLEWORK.

The plan is to head out to Abramtsevo Sunday...