Hermitage Museum

We went to the Hermitage Museum yesterday, and it was very fascinating. Each room was gorgeous! Luke saw originals of Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, da Vinci, many others. It was funny explaining to Luke that these are the originals that the artist painted, and we showed him the paint strokes and how thick the paint was on the canvas, and then we told him how much some were probably worth. Luke couldn’t believe it! His favorite room was the Egyptian room with many sarcophagi and one mummy completely unwrapped to see the preservation of the body, and to add to all the Egyptian excitement there were ancient Roman, Greek, and Byzantine coins dating back to 500BC. What a wonderful day!

We are in countdown mode for Gotcha Day, and Luke is getting a little nervous thinking about being a big brother and having a little sister. I guess after waiting almost three years it’s hard for me to believe it’s really happening. I am also a little nervous about how she will handle all of this, and the communication is going to be very hard at first. She has never been on a train or plane, and hardly in a car, so big events will happen to her all in one day.

Tonight we board the train and will not have a connection. We hope to reconnect in Voronezh, maybe on Monday. We hope everyone is well, and we thankfully are doing good and staying healthy. Two weeks down, two to go! I’m starting to feel homesick!