Faberge Museum

Upon leaving the Winter Palace, we had lunch and then wandered down the street to see the sights. Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan is a Russian Orthodox Church

And the Church of Spilled Blood, built on the spot where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881.

The sky was getting very grey, so we called in at our hotel for coffee and a bit of a rest before venturing out again at 5.30 to the Faberge Museum, which you can see during the day with a tour group, but if you want to see it on your own, you are not allowed in before 6pm. 

The Faberge Museum is located in the renovated Shuvalov Palace, a beautifully renovated palace on the Fontaka River Embankment. It houses the biggest collection of Faberge Eggs in the world, featuring 9 of the Imperial eggs, which Alexander III and Nicholas II gave to their wives or mothers as Easter gifts, and 5 that were made for other wealthy clients. 

The whole museum is utterly breathtaking, and with the audio guide to accompany us, Cam and I spent nearly 2 hours looking at all the exhibits. (Matt had a look through, but came back after he'd finished and we were still in the fourth room. Like me in the Mercedes Benz and Porsche museums in Germany). No photos are allowed in the museum, but there is a virtual tour on the web. 

Fabergemuseum.ru/

After this, we walked back along Nevsky Prospekt to the Pushka hotel and had dinner in the restaurant next door. 

Tomorrow the Peter and Paul Fortress.