A Baltic boating adventure TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 11/19 About This Page:

[Cam22]

Thank goodness Mark alerted you to the Russian cows before you totally missed them! Catherine's Palace is stunning and so ornate! Beautiful!

[chezp]

Monday 13 June – part seven: you start with the most spectacular…

The first room you come to inside St. Catherine’s Palace, ironically, is one of the most spectacular. It’s the Great Hall, and it was quite something…



However, we didn’t have much time in here. While most tour groups were wandering around, Elena quickly got us into the line to exit, which again was controlled, and that worked fine, as she was able to talk to us about the room, while we waited.

Once again, she ensured we were quickly through. They were about to cut the line, but she argued our case, and we were let through. I was impressed by all of this!

We were then able to admire one of the rooms that we’d had to quickly pass through on our way in here. This is the Cavaliers’ Dining Room, laid out for Tsarina Elizabeth. There are heaters in the corner, which were in a lot of the rooms, but given much of the gold you see here actually has a basis of wood, so of course they had to be careful about how much they used it, in case of fire. As we already know, that’s been quite a problem in Russia over the years.



We headed back to the top of the staircase, where again we had to wait, but it gave us the chance to admire this beautiful statue of Cupid sleeping. I loved all the detail on it.



We then moved through a series of rooms, where the decoration was just as amazing as the ones we’d already seen, but in a way, it became too much to take in, and after a while, we got a bit blasé about it. It’s a shame, because I think if you saw them in separate buildings, you’d be wowed by each room, but put them together, and you can’t help but feel it’s overkill.



In this room, the red on the walls was silk…



Some rooms also used aluminium, which Elena explained to us was very expensive and hard to get hold of back then, but of course today, it’s a much more common place product.



In this room, there were photos of some of the various Tsarinas, and we were told the style was to be a larger woman in those days. I have to say none of them struck me as that pretty…



Next: it’s not an original

[cubfancolleen]

I know what you mean about becoming immune to what you're seeing after awhile.

On the DCL Baltic cruise, one of the shore excursion options was a ball at the Summer Palace, held in that first room/great hall. I want to say it was well over $200/person (and didn't get you a tour of the rest of the palace). They had princesses in attendance (Cinderella, Aurora, etc). We did not opt for that one....

[Tara O'Hara]

Those are gorgeous photos but I agree with Colleen. Sometimes too much is too much and almost makes it gaudy in a way. I have to say, I still could move right in though!!

[chezp]

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

I know what you mean about becoming immune to what you're seeing after awhile.

On the DCL Baltic cruise, one of the shore excursion options was a ball at the Summer Palace, held in that first room/great hall. I want to say it was well over $200/person (and didn't get you a tour of the rest of the palace). They had princesses in attendance (Cinderella, Aurora, etc). We did not opt for that one....

Oh my goodness, I remember them announcing that - it was hideously priced, wasn't it?

[chezp]

Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara

Those are gorgeous photos but I agree with Colleen. Sometimes too much is too much and almost makes it gaudy in a way.

Oh completely - we felt that with both Versailles and the Vatican Museum, where you get to the show stopper at the end and by that point, we just couldn't take them in, we'd been so dazzled by everything else we'd already seen.

I have to say, I still could move right in though!!

I could honestly never see myself living somewhere like that, I'd like somewhere more homely.

[disney_duke]

Gold. Everywhere. It is indeed grand and beautiful and showstopping! But there is gold everywhere!! The floors really look incredible too. I can picture that staircase without so many people and it's amazing!

[Pris]

I understand your feelings about the opulence. When we took our river cruise, we began to feel that way about the cathedrals. They were all gorgeous and special in their style, but after while, we began to feel like "been there, done that." it was a gorgeous palace though.

[KMB733]

Catherine's Palace is gorgeous! I can understand though about the blase attitude. After a while each room looks the same!!

[Cam22]

The palace is exquisite and quite ornate, but I can easily see how after one room after another it would lose its luster.

[chezp]

Monday 13 June – part eight: it’s not an original

Next up was the Amber Room, and I was very disappointed to discover that you couldn’t take any photos at all in here. In the rest of the palace, you could take photos without flash. I did manage to snag this from the neighbouring room, which apparently was Ok…



It is absolutely stunning, and really does take your breath away. I had no idea amber could be produced in so many colours, and I also didn’t know that it is apparently renowned for its health benefits. That would account for why any amber jewellery costs so much perhaps.

I was so disappointed though when Elena told us that this is a recreation, it’s not an original. Apparently they weren’t able to clear this room in the Second World War, so when the Germans came in, they took the amber themselves. It’s believed it was taken to Hilter’s second bunker (I guess maybe he wanted some of those health benefits for himself ), but at the end of the war, they couldn’t find it anywhere. They apparently searched for years and years, and have even tried searching at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, but with no luck, so the decision was taken to recreate it at that point.

After this, we moved into what I’d call less lavish rooms, and it was a very pleasant change, as we were a little worn out from amazing opulent rooms. You could actually imagine people living here, whereas with the earlier rooms, there was no way you could say that.



When we exited here, they had a display about how they do the restoration work, and my goodness, the work that goes into it.



Elena told us that they are opening new rooms all the time, once they’re restored. She had earlier told us that the admission from guests isn’t enough, and the state has to subsidise this work.

As we left, there was a selection of photos of various famous visitors to the palace over the year. We spotted the Queen, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Prince Michael of Kent. Of course, Putin was in a number of shots, as he welcomes them here. Not a bad gig…

We then made our way out through the gardens. While not as spectacular as Peterhof, they were still beautiful…



Daniel met us with the minivan, and on the way back, we saw a memorial to the victims of World War II. Elena explained to us that the Germans had besieged the city, and during that time, two million people starved to death. She told us that it was the largest starvation in human history. How this is something that we don’t know about it, I do not know, but I felt bad about that. It’s just a horrific number.



As we drove along, we could see the city in the distance…



It was about now that I was finally able to get our Palo reservations for our Disney cruise. Who would’ve thought that, on a minivan in St. Petersburg, using their Wi-Fi? Not bad!

We re-entered the city from its south side, and it was coming through here that we could see the extent of St. Petersburg. It sprawls for miles, and we could see various shopping centres.



We drove right past this, which is the Victory Monument, which was erected in 1975, 30 years after the end of the Second World War. It commemorates both the victims and survivors of the siege of St. Petersburg.



We saw more of the city…



This was a bit surreal…



Next: it’s what? A torpedo net?

[Tara O'Hara]

More gorgeous photos of Catherine's palace!! Your drive through the city also looks really cool!!

[Colexis Mom]

Those trick fountains are cool! Glad lunch was delish! Great pictures of Catherine's Palace! Boy, what a place! More great shots of St. Petersburg!

[clio]

Catherine's palace is so beautiful. There's so much of Russian history that we don't know. I did read about the siege of St. Petersburg some where. My grandfather was Russian. He was is the White Army. he died before I was born and my aunt didn't remember much of what he'd told here over the years.
Liz

[disney_duke]

Wow. What an amazing place! Somewhat surprising that even with that many paid admissions they still need more money for keeping up the place.
Ummm.... every day is costume day? That's kind of weird.