Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories A Dream of the Hermitage Cats
Jan 26, 2026
A sleepy art history wander through a famous Russian museum and its snowy courtyards. The story follows an enchanted library visit that drifts into a dreamlike tour of galleries, tapestries, and the famed Peacock Clock. Cats appear as whimsical guides, leading through grand staircases and hidden rooms. The atmosphere blends architecture, travel, and a touch of the fantastical.
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Museum Vastness Puts Visits In Perspective
- The Hermitage holds about 3 million artifacts but displays only ~5% at a time, making the museum far larger than a single visit suggests.
- Thomas Jones highlights that viewing every exhibit would take a person ten years at one minute per item, eight hours a day.
Catherine's Collecting Shaped The Hermitage
- Catherine the Great built the Hermitage by acquiring massive private collections and expanding palace spaces over decades.
- Thomas Jones explains her purchases and successive architectural additions that transformed the Winter Palace into a major museum.
Cats Have Guarded The Hermitage For Centuries
- The Hermitage maintains a long tradition of cats living in its basements and courtyards, introduced in 1745 to catch mice.
- Thomas Jones reads that the cats now reign comfortably, have dedicated staff, and even an annual Hermitage cats day since 2009.