Tsarskoye Selo: Other Rooms

In addition to the gilded rooms, we also toured different themed rooms in the palace. I think that if you like history, you'll enjoy looking at the portraits of royalty especially the Romanovs. I've only read about them in books, but looking at their photos and knowing that they once called Catherine's Palace their home makes me feel closer to history.

Portraits of Russia's historical leaders and royalty adorned this white painted room. In these photos are the Romanovs.

Portraits of Nicholas II and Alexandra Romanov.

More royalty portraits.

Portraits from ceiling to floor. This is called the Portrait Hall.

Visitors enjoying the Portrait Hall.

Other side of the Portrait Hall.

 One of the antique collections that caught my eye.

 The Green Dining Room.

This is the view when we exited the palace. When I took this photo, we were on our way to the pick up point since we lost sight of our tour group.

 This is the Amber Room, and this is the room that caught my interest the most. I think that most people who visit Catherine's Palace yearn to walk into this room; I did. When the palace was raided by Nazis, they took all the amber from this room and took them to Germany. This room is a product of careful reconstruction and since they're still searching for more amber, some portions of this room are still uncovered. Photography is not allowed, so I scanned this from the my St. Petersburg Guide Book.

A closer look at the amber. (Source: St. Petersburg Guide Book)

Tsarskoye Selo: The Grand Hall

Catherine's Palace is huge. Without a tour guide, I could probably get lost in its beautiful rooms. 

Room after room, I found myself mesmerized with either the gold gilding or the antique collections they have displayed, each telling their stories, where they've been and how they found their way to the palace. Even the palace whispers her stories through its walls, its elegant draperies, its gilded candlesticks and its parquet floors. One story that caught my attention is how much of this palace is a result of present day restoration. The palace was bombed during the Nazi occupation therefore leaving most of the palace in ruins. Restoration experts have to build this palace from historical photos and paintings in order to restore it to its former glory and to get it to its grandeur today.

 Do remember that Russia came under Nazi invasion and at that time, a lot of the palace was bombed and destroyed. These two Cherubins are originals while the rest of the Grand Hall was restored by carefully looking at the photos and paintings from the archives.

 Gold and mirrors at the Grand Hall.

 The amazing Grand Hall. The floor is covered with wood parquet. If you've noticed, visitors must wear booties to protect the floor.

 Details of the gilded wall decorations.

An upward view of the room's intricate designs.

Booties to protect the palace's flooring.

Non-stop photography.

End of the Dining Hall and entering another grand room.

Tsarskoye Selo: Summer Residence Of Russian Czars

Of all places, we got lost in Pushkin.

Since the Catherine's Palace (Tsarskoye Selo) is only allowed to be toured with a group, the palace was packed during our visit; there were probably 40 to 50 groups at that time. Towards the end of our tour, a few people in our group decided to use the restrooms while we waited outside. Due to the flood of visitors, it was so packed that we got pushed or dragged with the flow of people that we lost sight of our own group. Imagine the fright and anxiety I felt being lost in a sea of people taller than I am and speaking different languages. It's a good thing our tour guide designated a wait area just in case we got lost, so we hurriedly made our way there. After 45 minutes of frantically waiting for our tour guide at the meeting point, I couldn't stop pacing back and forth while controlling the urge to cry. Well, after about 50 minutes, our guide finally showed up, only then I could breathe relief.

Why exactly was I frightened? Because (1) our immigration experience was a "little" unfriendly, Philippine passport holders got even worse treatment; (2) there's an unspoken unfriendliness or uneasiness towards tourists or more specifically US citizens; and, (3) people we spoke to, to ask for directions didn't speak English or were just not interested in helping; they just shrugged their shoulders and walked on. Maybe my feelings were wrong or maybe I had preconceived feelings towards Russia due to too many history books I've read regarding the sticky US-Russia relations, but it seems that the other travelers in my group felt the same way. It was sort of an unspoken truce that it is NOT a good idea to get lost in Russia or else you'll have a hell of an experience dealing with immigration authorities.

After all the hassles, St. Petersburg is a very interesting place to visit and that our experiences there are priceless. This city has so much to offer to the world. There are just a few things to remember while visiting St. Petersburg:

• for now, it is best to join a tour package, so that you don't have deal with procuring a visa that would cost about $600.00 per person (for US citizens)
• be ready to sweat - there's no air conditioning, in the tour buses and even in the museums
• drink lots of water - if you visit in the summer, expect the museums packed, humid and hot
• practice your Russian - learn a few phrases as English is not widely spoken (yet)
• be neat and make sure there are no erasures when filling up immigration forms - Russian immigration is very strict with erasures
• stick to your group
• be respectful and follow rules - museums there are well guarded and there are people monitoring visitors all the time
• carry cash - taking photos inside museums and shows are paid

So now that you have a few tips to ease your way into St. Petersburg, you're ready to enjoy the beauty and splendor of this city. Believe me, St. Petersburg is one beautiful city.

Today, we'll visit Pushkin and enter Catherine's Palace (Tsarskoye Selo)

These are the five golden domes of the Palace Chapel. It is rumored that over 200 pounds of gold were originally used to gild these domes, but our guide said that these days, they use paint. "More than 100 kilograms of gold were used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof. It was even rumored that the palace's roof was constructed entirely of gold." (Source)

Built for Catherine I of Russia, wife of Peter the Great, who ruled Russia for two years after his death. When it was first built, the palace was a simple two-storey palace but it was the Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine 1, who built it to its grandeur today. (Source)

The north side of the palace. This palace is 17 miles south of St. Petersburg. It is beautifully constructed and designed. It is impressive with its bright paint and its massive length of 740 meters or 2427 feet.

Tour groups waiting to be admitted.

This painted ceiling is one of the first things you'd see as you enter the palace.

According to our guide, the palace's rooms are gilded every three years. This is the stunning palace dining hall.

Real gilded Apples.

Painted ceiling - Dining Hall.

The dining room flanked with two tiled heaters; the tiles came from Denmark.

More photos to come from my visit to the Catherine's Palace.