One of the determining factors of going on this Baltic cruise was that one of its port calls was St. Petersburg, Russia! Visiting St. Pete has been on mine and Debbie's bucket lists for a long time, so imagine our excitement when our ship pulled into port. We signed on for a couple of ship excursions. The first one was Catherine the Great's summer palace in Pushkin, a suburb of St. Petersburg about 45 minutes outside of the city. Catherine II of Russia, a.k.a. Catherine the Great, was the Empress of Russia from 1762-1796. She was a tyrannical, imposing leader with titillating sexual taboo habits that have been bandied about in history. However, despite her personal failings, she was the impetus that re-vitalized Russia, expanded its borders, and made it one of the great powers of Europe during her time. Catherine the Great's summer palace was the most impressive palace that I have ever toured. Although the palace was attributed to her, Catherine the Great found the site that was first built by her grandmother Catherine I, and torn down to be rebuilt more opulently by her mother Empress Elizabeth, to be "old-fashioned" and a "reckless extravagance." Debbie and I found it to be a work of distinctive opulence. Although the palace was greatly destroyed by the Germans in WWII, it has been rebuilt and refurbished to resemble its former glory.
There are 2 cupid statues inside the palace that are placed at French doors on opposite wings. The one that faces East is called "Awakening Cupid," because it wakes with the sunrise. The one facing West is called "Sleeping Cupid," because it sleeps when the sun sets.
Every room had ceilings that were just as brilliantly opulent as the next.
Prominent porcelain chimneys were eyecatching works of arts!
My favorite room was the Portrait Room, as a collage of paintings decorated the room from top to bottom. Talk about artistic overload!
Catherine the Great loved horses and fashion. She never wore the same dress twice. Here is a replica of the dress that she wore in the painting below. Do you think it was safe to say that Catherine the Great was a "clothes horse?" LOL.
Catherine the Great's summer palace was an architectural dream of golden spires and gilded ballrooms, and is a worthy visit for would-be castle seekers out there!
