Catharine Palace
The day was foggy and gray when our bus arrived at Catharine Palace with our new local guide, Tim. Tim gave us a brief palace history before we entered and explained that the palace was bombed extensively during World War II - restoration is ongoing. The palace is almost a 1000 ft. long and I couldn't even begin to fit it all in my photos.
We were entertained by these musicians as we waited outside to enter. Polka anyone? A few visitors couldn't resist and began dancing. |
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The photo on the right shows this same room after bombing during WWII.
After being restored, the Great Hall was impressive! I can imagine this room in Catherine's time lit by multitudes of candles reflected in 24-carat gold moldings and mirrors. True luxury! Large Delft porcelain heaters radiated warmth throughout the palace.
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We saw over 20 restored rooms. Each room was sumptuous and unique.
Blue Drawing Room
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Tim conducting our tour amid gilded decoration in the Great Hall
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Green Dining Room
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Seeing this reproduction of Catherine's dress helped explain the wide doorways in the Palace. It certainly wouldn't be fashionable to enter a room sideways!
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After our palace tour, there were blue skies - what a difference!
We were so lucky to see the park surrounding the palace in sunlight. Cloud reflections in the water made it seem even more beautiful.
The gold-domed building is the Turkish Bath. Lovely, but seems like a long way to trek during cold Russian winters. |
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Gondola rides are given on the Great Pond, which is part of the park at the palace. To the right is the Grotto Pavilion, one of the buildings built by the royals over the years. |
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Pushkin
Catharine Palace is located in the small town of Pushkin. We headed to a local restaurant for a typical Russian lunch - delicious red beet borsch served with beer--or Coke.
I was impressed by the array of fresh fruits and vegetables. We saw baskets of big chanterelle mushrooms which made me wish for a handy kitchen! These mushrooms are not easy to come by in the U.S. and they're delicious.
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On our return from Pushkin, we passed The Victory Monument. Tim explained that this is tribute to the soldiers and people of St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) as they fought off the Nazis over a 900-day siege of the city from 1941 to 1944. We visited the museum below where there were exhibits and a film showing the hardships of that time.
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Afterwards, we bid farewell to our great guide, Tim. Before heading back, we took a short break on the plaza by the Metro station.
Posing for the camera and indulging in a little blatant tourism!
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There are still some statues of Lenin left standing in Russia. |
Heading downstairs to take the Metro back into St. Petersburg was a great adventure since most signs are in Russian. No fear, though! Etelka gave us exact directions on what to do.
Is it my imagination or is this a really steep wheelchair ramp?
A Special Treat!
It turned out that a Russian ballet company was performing 'Swan Lake' at a theater not too far from our hotel. Although this was 'extracurricular' to the itinerary, Rick's tour department and Etelka made the whole thing happen, from reserving our tickets to arranging our taxi transportation to the theater. It was a marvelous performance and the night was so clear and 'balmy' that most of us decided to walk back. Here's a big 'shout out' to Etelka and Rick's tour department!
I loved the Russian ballet company's performance of 'Swan Lake'! On the way home, we passed the Aurora, the ship famous for firing the first shots of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and crossed over Trinity Bridge, one of St. Petersburg's most lovely bridges and especially magical at night.
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