This was always billed as the highlight city of the cruise, with an overnight stop. Our original plans were a Princess tour of two days, each of 10 hours, but we decided that it might be a bit too much for us, so we changed to two one day tours, the first being a city tour plus Catherine Palace.
With a 7:15am meeting and the clocks an hour forward, we were somewhat surprised to be awake as the room service tray arrived, just before the alarm.
We headed for the meeting point at 7am and were already on coach #4! This time we needed the passports as we had Russian Immigration to pass through. Plenty of staff on duty and although the immigration official was straight-faced, a minimal wait to be processed and safely through, but we were almost the last on the coach, so headed for the rear. A good choice, as the group was 36 and the coach seated about 45, so Paula and I eventually sat across the aisle and had a window each. On this bright Sunday morning, a bright and bubbly blonde – Anna, explained that we were very fortunate to have bright warm sunshine, as they only got about 50 days of it a year.
Being a Sunday and early, the streets of St Petersburg were relatively traffic free as we headed half an hour south to Pushkin. As explained to us, the city always was a planned city, rather than one that grew like topsy, however, the planners never made allowances for private citizens owning motor cars and therefore needing garages and car parks.
On arrival at Catherine’s Palace, we walked about 200 yards to the gates, past a small band who ceased playing just as soon as we passed! Now my experience of musicians is that they just love to play, so to suddenly stop after about 12 or 16 bars was quite odd. When the next coach arrived, just a minute or two after us, they started again.
Once through the main gate, then past another band at the palace entrance (who also stopped mid tune!) plus a comfort stop at immaculate toilets, we were through the turnstiles and pulled on the issued overshoes. Now as you well know, I am not into history at all but Anna was an excellent guide and she took us right through the upper floor of the palace. It was already getting very busy with tour groups galore, so we had to shuffle along but had been issued with the very practical receivers and an earphone that hooked over the ear. Comfortable and excellent sound quality. If there is one word to describe the interior, it is ‘gold’ (or gilt) – and loads of it.
What impressed us throughout the day was the Russians’ dedication to restoration and preservation after the bombings, revolutions and so on and not just at the palaces. This palace had been badly bombed by the Germans during the last war and the dedicated work undertaken to restore it was just phenomenal. Anna went to great lengths to explain what was original and what was not, as many treasures were shipped out then back again. The marquetry floors were exquisite (hence the overshoes) and for me, were the real highlights, as so much gilt was a bit over the top for my taste.
I may have this a bit wrong, but there are summer palaces and winter palaces and the blue tiles (originally Dutch Delft) were on what may or may not have been stoves for heating. Most were reproductions as part of the restoration, but some were original.
Needless to say, some of the many rooms had the walls decorated with art, but in one room, photography, even without flash, was strictly forbidden. Needless to say there is always one in the group who never read the tour blurb, listened to the guide or read the notices… The attendant soon put her right, but she is very lucky she wasn’t carted away. The word (according to one couple we spoke to) was that they’d heard of someone being arrested and spending six hours in a police cell for taking pics – and had their camera confiscated. The room is the amber room. I could show you a pic – but we don’t have a scanner handy.
Whilst congregating outside for the group to re-form, we finally caught up again with Sheila and Tony. (Couple #1 in the pics.)
Outside then to the symmetrical palace gardens. The Russians of the day were always very strong on symmetry and the French influence… Before we really hit the gardens, we passed the gallery. Now the Scottish couple we first met the night before the cruise in Southampton, are Camerons and they were in our tour group. Imagine how they felt when they found out that the architect drafted in to design it was not only from Scotland, but was a Cameron. A smile a mile wide! (Couple pic #2.)
Down to the lakeside and a quick bit of Russian singing - with the acoustics just perfect.
Anna explained more than once, that some of the buildings we saw around the estate were for weekend guests and some for dinner visitors to the palace. One of these brick buildings was just a kitchen – about 100 yards away from the small(ish) dinner venue. They didn’t want to smell the food before it hit the table.
Now hitting the table is a poor choice of words, as the table in this particular building (no pic – it is on video) was housed below the floor and was laid before the dinner, then raised up through the floor. Not only that, the guests placed their orders and the plates went down below (mechanically it seems) and were returned 20 minutes later with the appropriate food! Sounds very Wallace and Gromit to me!!!!
One building just 50 metres from the main palace, was a guests bath-house, but apparently they weren’t too keen on bathing anyway.
Anna gave us 15 minutes to walk down the shorty alley of market stalls and a couple of souvenir shops, between the palace and the road, where we hopped back on the coach.
I have split this day’s post/blog as there were just too many pictures for one post. Just about all on this post are Paula’s as I used the video camera instead at the palace and haven’t had the time to extract any still pics.
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