Start The Revloution

When we visited The Hermitage it was mobbed -  on the busiest day last year they pre-sold 20,000 tickets.  This year it's busier.  We had early admission - along with about a zillion others.   This used to be a private art collection, started by Catherine The Great.  Actually it used to be several private art collections, all nationalized.  Watch out come the revolution!

Kathy said "That's why you buy diamonds, they're a good investment (until the DeBeers monopoly collapses) and they're portable!"

And her husband said "Yeah, but have you ever sold any of the diamonds I've bought you?"

"No, sweetie, I'm saving them for the revolution."

This may not be my most scintillating post but you've got to see this stuff.
We called this the yearbook hall.  Honor your generals, for it is they who keep you in power.

Wow your subjects with your wealth and power.  It worked for a while...

If you can't buy your favorite hallway at the Vatican, hire Italians and make your own.  And one day the Vatican will come calling because they need to restore and yours looks better than theirs.

Make sure your kids have a room of their own...

...and one can never have too many Matisses.

Especially extra-large Matisses.  This one would not fit in our house.  Too bad.  I think it would look great in the dining room.

And as we left there were some guys dismantling scaffolding (no one seemed to know why as the big party hadn't happened yet) and they were so sculptural: