Hi, when we arrived in St Petersburg we went through Customs and had to show our Passport and tickets to see if we were allowed into Russia!
First we went on the bus to Pushkin were Catherine Palace is located. Most of the rooms had gold on them and it took an hour to walk around the Palace and its beautiful gardens.
Catherine Palace was built in the early 1700s for Catherine I by Peter the Great. Catherine left the estate to her daughter Elizabeth I. After Elizabeth ascended the throne, large construction works were undertaken, as the palace was not grand enough for Elizabeth I. The Great Hall is over 850 sqm with light streaming in both ways and has a ceiling painting by Rastrelli which is magnificent.
Catherine Palace is situated in the suburb of Pushkin on the outskirts of St Petersburg. Pushkin was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. When the Germans left Pushkin they tried to destroy the Palace with fires, etc. They created extensive damage. However, locals at Pushkin salvaged many artefacts prior to this time, which can be seen today. Catherine Palace has been restored to its former beauty, which is magnificent.
We then went into St Isaac Cathedral in St Petersburg. The current St Isaac Cathedral was completed in 1858 (it took 40 years to complete). Prior to the current Cathedral there were three prior St Isaac’s.
A quick stop for lunch in a beautiful building. I got to sample a four course traditional Russian lunch. It was nice to try and I particularly liked the turkey and rice. Dad had my Vodka!
After lunch we visited the Peter and Paul Fortress and its Cathedral. The church held the tombs of Peter the Great, Catherine’s I and II, Elizabeth I and other Imperial family members.
The Fortress held prisoners of the time. We also saw the gate of death to the water. No one was executed at the Fortress. They were taken by boat elsewhere via the gates of death.
The spire of the church had a gold angel and cross which is the highest point in St Petersburg. The angel points in a direction depending on the weather.
Our final stop was the massive Hermitage Museum, with over 400 rooms spread across 5 buildings (Winter Palace and Hermitage buildings) and 3 million monuments housed there, representing different cultures and included works from Van Gogh, Monet, Michelangelo, da Vinci ……… If you looked at every piece for 60 seconds it would take you 8 years to visit the Museum.
The original Winter Palace built for Peter the Great was upgraded by Elizabeth I. The Museum was founded by Catherine the Great (II) in 1764.
A busy day in Russia, lots to see and I found it really different to New Zealand. Lots of traffic, people and beautiful buildings laced in gold.
Love Ella
Ella's Blog 