June 2 St. Petersburg Day 5

It has become hot. A high of 28, in the shade, and it's sunny. I am sorry I used all my sunscreen that rainy day in Tartu.

I tempted the fates today. And I lost. I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to visit Tzarist Catherine's Palace today, on a Sunday. Just me and 50 000 other people. This palace is in Pushkin, about 20 km from St. Petersburg centre. I decided to take local buses. The tourist information bureau has a neat handout. It lists the main tourist attractions, and how to get there. For this palace it reads something like take the Metro to station Moskovskayas, then bus 187 or minibuses 342, or 545. I found my minibus, showed the driver a photo of the palace, and paid a dollar.

Now, those of you that know me, don't believe I have faith, well let me tell you that you must have a lot of faith to get on one of these buses, hoping to end up where you want to go. 

Pushkin is a separate, good sized town. The busdriver, after zig zagging around the town, dropping off and collecting passengers, finally motioned me to get off, at a corner.

Lo and behold, around the corner I could see the palace.

It is beautiful, everything a lovely baby blue, with a lot, and I mean lot, of gold.

They have a strange ticket system there. The palace opens at 10, but between 10 and 12, only tour groups are allowed in. So there is an advantage for those extra 50 dollars.

I wasn't concerned, I arrived before 11, but there are beautiful gardens to enjoy. It's again the same story, once you get away from the two or three highlight buildings you are on your own. There is a small lake, with several interesting buildings, but, mainly, it's the peace and quiet that is so appealing.

At about 10 to 12 I went back to the palace to line up to buy my ticket inside. As I said I was not the only person who wanted to visit. I had to wait 50 minutes before I finally got inside. A couple of other unique practices; you have to wear a cloth cover over your shoes, to protect the parquet floor. You also have to line up for a free audio tour- Russian only.

The Palace tour is a "Slam Bam, Thank You Ma'M" tour. The palace is huge, but there only about 15 rooms open to the public. They are all in a line, so, after a maximum of 30 minutes, it's over.

To return to the exit you walk through a long corridor, which has an excellent, in Russian and English, explanation on the restoration of this palace after WWII. The Germans bombed the site heavily, and when you see photos of the ruins, and you see the present palace, it is absolutely amazing.

Having said that it is certainly worth the time, effort, and money to see the palace.

The furniture is all original, and the restoration is superb. The biggest attraction is The Amber Room, which uses different shades of ambers to cover the entire rooms. Very impressive and beautiful.

You were allowed to take photos, except in this room. I really don't understand that. I can see flash photography damaging art, but an ordinary camera has no effect.  I did take several, before the guard told me " no photos".

Coming home was a bit trickier, because the corner were I got off did not have a station across the road. I had to walk a long block into town, before I saw one. But it worked, and I was home in less than an hour.

I have picked up a cold, and I feel achy and listless. I think my body is telling me to go home. And I agree.

Ralf