Friday, April 3, 2015

C is for Catherine's Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia




If a picture is worth a thousand words, than my photos from Catherine's Palace in Tsarskoye Selo should fill a novel.  This was the summer residence built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine I, but embellished by their daughter, Empress Elizabeth.

Here is just a sampling.

The main entrance is on the right, where the columns protrude, seen below


Quite the entry hall


The Grand Hall



One of many interior rooms, pictures in the Amber Room were not allowed, but can be seen at the link above.

Replica of one of Elizabeth's ball gowns.

A reflection pool in the garden

The Cameron Gallery viewed from garden

The Hermitage Pavilion seen through the trees



Bonus:  C is for Celebrimbor, the Elf Lord of Eregion.  He forged the Three Rings of Power and after Sauron forged the One Ring to control the Three Rings, he hid the Three Rings and prepared for war.


22 comments:

  1. When can I move in? Amazing.

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    1. I'm always amazed at the size of the palaces. And then when I find out about all the relatives and folks who move in I say 'forget it'.

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  2. I love your posts from your trip to Russia, Finland and Estonia, those were the exact same countries we visited during a school exchange trip ten years ago! I'm fairly certain that we visited Catherine Palace, was part of it damaged by a fire at some point in the past?

    One of the things I loved about the palaces and places in Russia was the amount of detail painted onto the ceilings!

    I also like your Tolkien snippets as well. :-)

    Cait @ Click's Clan

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    1. Well, from what we were told, the palace was practically demolished in the WWII fighting. They have spent a lot of money rebuilding it.

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  3. I love all the blues!

    Good luck with the 2015 A to Z Challenge!
    A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
    http://pensuasion.blogspot.com

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    1. Blue and Gold. Hadn't realized that. I'd say 'Go Mich' but my oldest graduated from MSU.

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  4. Blue is my favorite color. This palace is spectacular - and blue. And it will be pretty crowded when everyone who reads this post moves in. Alana - ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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  5. Considering how short the summers are in Russia, this was quite the getaway.

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  6. This was my first thought, would she have had room in that palace. But I guess if there were all kinds of hangers on, then she needed the space. Beautiful palace but the cost??? It's no wonder the peasants revolted.

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    1. And after WWII, they rebuilt the place. Yikes.

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  7. Beautiful! I would like to see it in person someday.

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    1. I really hope you get the chance. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. This is mouth droppingly amazing!! I fell in love with this palace when I was little. the amount of gold is mind-bending. I know the amber room is the "lost" room since it was taken by the Nazi regime. The Amber room is a reconstruction. I watched a documentary on this palace and it showed how the grand hall was so destroyed but the people who worked there hid many things. The lovingly restored it to the glory you saw. I also love the story about all the cats that "guard" the place

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    1. Apparently there is lots of reconstruction here. Knew about the cats in the Winter Palace. Makes sense they would have them here too.

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  9. Again such beautiful photos. I love how the royal buildings in Russia are so colourful.

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  10. The palace is beautiful. Only kings could afford to prove their love to their wives so lavishly.

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    1. Yes. And then father daughters to nearly bankrupt the country embellishing it.

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