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Norwegian Dream Cruise : Trip Report
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When we got there we had to contend with several other large groups also trying to get in. Access to the grounds is strictly controlled so there aren't too many people in the palace at one time. It took us over an hour of waiting outside before we were able to start the tour.
This palace was amazing. This is the stuff we came all the way to St. Petersburg to see. This palace contains the famous Amber Room, which was gutted by the Nazis and only completed restoration a few months ago. I think one other member of our group summed it up when he said that now he knows why there was a revolution. It's amazing how extravagantly the Czars lived off the backs of the "people". It was only a matter of time before the "people" couldn't take it any more.
After visiting the palace we briefly toured the gardens and walked a few blocks to a nearby restaurant for lunch. There we had a pretty decent lunch and lively Russian folk music for entertainment.
I've heard many times to be careful while traveling, but nowhere as much as when I told people I was going to Russia. Turns out I did have reason to be careful. On the way from the palace to the restaurant I was nearly the victim of pickpockets. At lunch another member of my group told me he saw two men with coats over their arms casually working their way through our group. This person saw one of the pick pockets trying to get into my pockets when he noticed he was being watched. At that point the two men bailed and crossed the street. Fortunately nothing was stolen. My wallet and money were in difficult to reach front pockets.
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 I have no idea who this is a statue of. Viewed: 120 times. |
 Oh no, a long line to get in. Viewed: 224 times. |
 Might as well admire the ornate gate as we wait. Viewed: 299 times. |
 Looking down the Main Courtyard at the main gate. Viewed: 242 times. |
 The front facade was ornate but the gold is just gold-tone paint. Viewed: 297 times. |
 The Great Hall (Bolshoi Zai) Viewed: 527 times. |
 Close-up of the ceiling Viewed: 326 times. |
 Gilded detail around the door. Viewed: 344 times. |
 Looks like a dining room. Viewed: 334 times. |
 Another amazing ceiling. Viewed: 252 times. |
 Looking back at the Main Courtyard from the second floor. Viewed: 250 times. |
 The China collection displayed on the wall. Viewed: 223 times. |
 Another dining room. Viewed: 324 times. |
 I like the crinkled green look of these accents. Viewed: 303 times. |
 A gown worn by Catherine the Great. Viewed: 558 times. |
 Notice the floors and the furniture. Viewed: 314 times. |
 The Green Dining Room. Viewed: 332 times. |
 Finally the amazing Amber Room didn't disappoint. Viewed: 576 times. |
 Another ceiling. Viewed: 295 times. |
 In Catherine's Garden looking back. Viewed: 545 times. |
 The Upper Bath served as a bathhouse for the royal family. Viewed: 316 times. |
 This is the Cameron Gallery containing a collection of sculptures and vases. Viewed: 216 times. |
 Looking back at the Palace from the far end of the garden. Viewed: 288 times. |
 Of course the Palace had an on-site Church. Viewed: 378 times. |
 After the tour we ate lunch and were entertained by folk singers. Viewed: 326 times. |
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| Comments From People Like You! Catherine's Palace in Tsar's Village |  add a comment |
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Anonymous 09-Aug-2003 22:32 |
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Catherine I was Peter the Great's second wife. Peter loved her and give her this palace. Catherine II or Catherine the Great was actually Polish. She married Peter, the grandson or son of Peter the Great and had her lover and his brothers (noblemen) overthrow her husband, and became Empress herself. This all done within 1 year of marriage. According to legend, she wore a military looking gown as she reviewed her troops as she then presided over the country. She never married her lover, and was a capable leader. She is called Catherine the Great because she bridged Russia with the West and built Russia with art and policy.
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Anonymous 09-Aug-2003 22:27 |
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Every European royal palace has extensive Chinese art and pottery, as Catherine's palace had many rooms decorated with Chinese (very very expensive at the time -- Chinese items were so prized that Columbus went looking for a new route to the East) items like laquerware, porceliens, silks, paintings, drawings. The crinkled wall decorations in one of the rooms was actually painted aluminum. Prior to modern manufacturing methods, aluminum was pretty expensive to produce, more expensive than gold. Napolean allegedly had an aluminum set of utensils, and very important people used them. Lesser VIPS used utensils of gold. Catherine's heirs had to raise money and scraped the gold off the palace exterior.
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