This is the last of the Travelog: Russia series 😀 The bag blog will be back soon 🙂
On our last day in Saint Petersburg, we traveled to Pushkin to see the Catherine Palace.
Catherine Palace is the summer residence of the Russian tsars.
Our guide tells us that most of the interiors are already refurbished/ restored. Not a whole lot of this palace is kept in its original state.
Opulence at its finest. This palace gives Versailles a run for its money, I think 🙂 *there is competition here!!*
This is the grand hall/ ballroom.
Another look at the ballroom
Look at the paintings on the ceiling!
A papier- mache Catherine the Great. She owned the emerald and diamond brooch which will be auctioned at Christie’s tomorrow! *Gawd, if I was a billionaire, I would’ve placed my bid without question or hesitation hahaha*
Oh, and it’s very interesting to note that Catherine the Great is perhaps one of the greatest jewellery collectors of our time 🙂 She knew the good stuff 🙂
In this palace, there’s even a banquet room with a “dessert only” table! I love the configuration of this table. I think it’s the perfect “dinner party for 40” table 🙂 *hehehe*
Another banquet room
“Smaller” (in relation to the furnitures) pieces like these are all original
A chess set made of ivory and coral
That jewelry chest is made of amber. The whole thing. *gasp*
… which is actually “nothing great” *hah!* when you compare it to the Amber Room 🙂 *woooooo*
Photos weren’t allowed so this was all I was able to take (I had to crop the faces and silhouettes of the other tourists in the background). The WHOLE room was made of amber– the walls, the chandeliers, even the movable furnitures. All made of amber.
The palace must’ve been a sight to see during its heyday.
Here’s another banquet room. Note the porcelain furnace on the far left. No, that was not made in China. It was made in Russia 🙂
I love this room. Very Wedgewood 🙂
A last look at the gardens of Catherine Palace.
The palace gardens would’ve looked beautiful during summer. Or in the middle of winter while the snow was falling. But we were there at the tail-end of winter, so the snow was already melting and the ground was muddy. It was still very beautiful though.
Russia is a country with vast wealth and has a LOT to offer its tourists. If you do get that opportunity to travel this year, I would highly recommend Russia. There might not be much to look at of Russia “today”, but if you see Russia of time long past, you will discover a plethora of wildly amazing (because opulence of that level seems soo… obscenely surreal *if there is even such a phrase to describe that level of opulence*) historical richness and treasures. Russia really blew me away with what she had to offer.
Thanks to my DM and DBs + DSIL for allowing me to share this wonderful Russian adventure with them. A big thank you also to CV Travel for having pitched Russia to DB 🙂 It was really unforgettable!!!
Hope you peeps enjoyed this year’s Travelog: Russia 🙂
x
Mrs. T
Hi Mrs. T! Thanks for posting your beautiful Russian photos. I have been wanting to go to Russia but have no idea who to get in touch with. COuld you share the number of your travel agent please?
Also, would you mind giving me a high level estimate of the total cost of the trip per person?
Thanks!
Cha
Fascinating. Did you join a tour group on a package tour? or did you travel by yourselves?
thanks to your travelog. i never knew there’s more to russia than just the red square and the famed amber room. btw, is the reconstructed amber room made of real amber?
Mrs. T,
Looks like Versailles is much simpler than this. I´ve been there and I was a bit disappointed. The country palaces of the Royals in Spain are much better preserved than Versailles.
I´ll definitely add Russia in my next-to-visit list. Save muna kami ng money. hehe!
@gillbates: We had a private tailor- made tour for 6 🙂 It was awesome!!!
@charinajoy: Please contact CV Travel. Owner is Claudette Vitug, 0917- 5368545 so you can ask her to make a tour quote for you– it depends on how many people if you want to do a private tour, or if you want to join a tour.
@Cheryl: haha as long as you don’t buy any designer merchandise there, you should be okay 🙂
@Anon: YES!! It’s all made of real amber! Fascinating, isn’t it? 🙂
definitely more opulent than versailles. beautiful
so extravagant!