|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Catherine Palace – |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Amber Room is a must see! The walls are covered
in an ornate mosaic of amber pieces – myriad shades of golden
amber glistening in the light! The room is a re-creation of the original
amber panels, given by Friedrich I of Prussia to Peter the Great. The panels
disappeared in World War II, but have been painstakingly re-created from
photographs. Even if your kids are blase about visiting palaces, they'll
be really impressed by the Amber Room (so plan to spend most of your time
in this one room.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other rooms that really stand out are the Picture Hall (every inch of this huge high-ceilinged room has been wall-papered
in 17th and 18th century paintings), the Great Hall (used for extravagant
costume balls), and the Knight's Banqueting Hall (decorated with
a long dining table and tons of fancy china). |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Catherine Park – |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Great
Pond – On the Great Pond, take a boat pulled on cables to
the island in the middle of the lake. You can pretend that you're
Catherine the Great, sailing on the pond in a golden gondola while musicians
played on the island. Also on the island, climb up the Chesma Monument for
a good view of the pond. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
As you walk around the pond, you'll see the crumbling
Turkish Bath (just looks cool), the little brown pyramid (Catherine the
Great buried her pet dogs here) and a marble bridge. Close to the lake,
dabble your fingers into the tiny stream of water next to the statue called
the Girl with a Pitcher, made famous in the poem by Pushkin.
"She sits timelessly sad over the timeless stream." |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Formal
Gardens – Run around the pools and paths in the formal garden,
and check out the long narrow "fish canal" (the palace chefs caught
fish for dinner from the canal). |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
To explore the gardens in style, get a horse carriage at
the entrance to the formal gardens, and go for a dashing ride around
the park. |
