Russia 2012: St. Petersburg Peterhof Palace

View of the church - the gilded domes incredible.

Peterhof Palace grounds - front.

Peterhof Palace grounds - front.

Peterhof Palace - fountains leading to the sea.

Peterhof Palace.

Peterhof Palace.

Kate and Peterhof Palace.

A great way to start the day.

Driving up to the palace. 

More of the Palace grounds.

Some refer to Peterhof Palace as the Russian Versailles; I can see why. Though the gardens and fountains weren't in full bloom, it is easy to imagine what the palace grounds and gardens would look like during the summer. Peter the Great built this palace as a place for him to stay en route to Europe. It is  strategically close to Kronstadt fortifications. It was important for Peter to have the fountains, one of the main beauties of the palace, so site selection was time consuming - legends say it took two years to find the ideal location. It took another 11 years from 1714 to 1725 to complete it. Construction continues today as,  like Catherine Palace, the Nazis captured the Palace in 1941, looted and destroyed anything that remained at the Palace. Restoration began after the war continues today. The splendor of this Russian treasure is truly a site to see. No photos are allowed inside, so we can only share the exterior.

Russia 2012: St. Petersburg Catherine Palace

Kate outside Catherine Palace.

To protect the beautiful flooring, booties are used to cover shoes.

Staircase at Catherine Palace.

One of many ballrooms.

Heating element based on Delft design Peter the Great loved.

Reception room - note the beautiful flooring.

Recreated period eating arrangement - in here all that glitters is gold!

Dress of Empress Elizabeth.

Each doorway carefully adorned - next room is famous Amber Room.

The rooms get changed to adjust to changing fashion. 

Outside the palace the grounds are works of art - one can only imagine them in the summer.

Even on a cloudy day, the Palace shines.

Palace gates give you an idea of what the inside will look like.

Like most Russian places, Catherine Palace has a long history dating back to 1717 when Catherine I built a palace on the current grounds. In 1733, Empress Anna expanded the palace. Finding the Palace outdated and not to her liking, Empress Elizabeth ordered it raised and rebuilt. Bartolomeo Rastrelli was given the job and he designed the current palace in the Rococo style. Construction lasted almost 4 years. The end result was magnificent - over 100 kg of gold was used in gilding the 1,000 ft long exterior, more inside. The structure was almost entirely destroyed by Nazi forces during Second World War, however careful documentation and removal of most of the items enabled Russia to restore the building to its prior beauty, including The Amber room, which was only recently opened again. We are grateful this was able to be done for Catherine Palace is certainly a wonder to be seen. 

Russia 2012: St. Petersburg Winter Palace & Hermitage Museum

Even the floors are beautiful.

Throne - it was an amazing feeling to be in the room where the Tsars used to rule Russia.

Anna with a sample of the treasure that can be found in the Hermitage.

Winter Palace stairs. Magnificent.

Anna in the throne room of Winter Palace.

Hermitage Museum.

Winter Palace staircase. 

Kate in a Winter Palace ballrom.

The family in front of Winter Palace.

Alexander Column and Winter Palace - one has to back-up quite far to get the whole palace into a photo.

Painting commemorating the defeat of Napoleon; center is General Kutuzov.

Throne room in Winter Palace.

Alexander Square in front of Winter Palace.

St. Petersburg was the capital of Imperial Russia from Peter the Great's rule in 1713 until 1918. As a result, it is the home of the Tsar's palaces. We visited Winter Palace, Catherine Palace and Peterhof. All of these palaces have unique histories, but they are uniformly beautiful and reflect Russia's desire to position itself as a global power. Winter Palace was the official residence of the Russian monarchs until 1917. It is enormous - over 800 feet long, 100 feet high and containing 1,500 rooms, 1,786 doors 1,945 windows. It now also houses the Hermitage Museum. 

Russia 2012: St. Petersburg Cathedrals

The mosaics in Church on Spilt Blood are incredibly intricate and beautiful.

Kate inside Church on Spilt Blood.

Anna inside Church on Spilt Blood

Church on Spilt Blood - ever inch beautifully adorned.

The actual location of the assassination of  Tsar Alexander II.

Guide Natasha explaining to all what happened - another reminder to Anna why being royalty isn't always good.

Looking up at Church on Spilt Blood - the central domes were always a treat to see - absolutely beautiful.

Entry doors to Saint Isaac's Cathedral.

Inside Saint Isaac's Cathedral - pictures don't do justice to St. Petersburg's largest cathedral.

Inside Saint Isaac's Cathedral

One Mosaic to be raised to the dome of the Cathedral - the detail of these mosaics was incredible.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral.

Saint Isaac's icons.

Kate outside Church of Spilt Blood - the city is beautiful.

Outside Church on Spilt Blood.

Church on Spilt Blood.

Church on Spilt Blood at night - magnificent.

Family in front of Kazan Cathedral - one of Steve's favorites.

The adaption of the Byzantine Orthodox religion by Vladimir I in 988 was a profound turning point in Russian history for many reasons. It is said that Vladimir's appreciation of the beauty of the icons and architecture of the churches influenced his decision to choose Orthodox over other religions. We can understand why. We have seen many Byzantine cathedrals and churches before and they can be simply spectacular. The cathedrals in St. Petersburg are no different - from the Church on Spilt Blood, to St. Isaacs, to Peter and Paul - each cathedral is uniquely beautiful. Entering these places is a breathtaking experience - one cannot help feeling awestruck. The gilded domes dot the St. Petersburg landscape, adding to the uniqueness of the city skyline.