St. Petersburg

Our first day in St. Petersburg was dominated by Catherine's Winter Palace, the Hermitage. This was our first glimpse of the tremendous excess of the Russian rulers. Never in our life have we witnessed the acres of gold that adorned every molding, door, chandelier and frame. Combined with the magnificent parquet floors, huge pieces of art everywhere, and gilded statues. We were surprised that the great works of art were hung in front of large windows and not protected from the sun.







That evening we attended a ballet, Swan Lake, in the Winter Palace. The ballet was performed in Catherine the Great's private theater. The theater holds only 250 people and is as ornate and gilded as the rest of the palace.

The next day were up early and drove out of St. Petersburg to Catherine's Summer Palace. The Summer Palace dwarfs the Winter Palace. The palace extends three quarters of a mile and is more gilded, ornate and decorated.



We saved the best for last, Peterhoff; one of Peter the Great's palaces. The palace was beautiful but were most taken by the beautiful gardens and endless fountains.





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Location:St. Petersburg, Russia