The Moskva Hotel was the largest 4-star hotel in St. Petersburg; built in 1964, in the middle of the Soviet era, it was one of many Gargantuan hotels (almost 900 rooms) meant to house foreigners by the state-run InTourist Agency. A few years ago it was renovated, inside and out, and was now a very popular place to stay. Eating there was an ordeal, akin to eating in a Tokyo traffic-jam, and we were not sure about picking-out a neighborhood restaurant without a guide. So naturally, this near-by place became our favorite eatery in St. Petersburg.
Two 1/4-Pounders with Cheese, large fries (to split) and a fried Apple turnover (also to split), all TO GO, and then a couple of bottles of Water "mit Gaz' from the cart outside; we ate at our 6th floor window, watching the busy activity at Nevsky Square, feeling comfortably at home.
When Katya picked us up at the Hotel, she asked us if we'd enjoyed our evening, and we just smiled to each other as we said "oh yes" in unison. Before heading out of the city she took us by Peter's original residence in St Petersburg during the first decade of the 18th Century. Inside of this small one-story brick building is an even-smaller rustic log cabin. Despite the opulent elegance of his magnificent city, Peter's personal tastes were Spartan and simple for his own needs...
We drove out the former Imperial Highway to the small town of Pushkin, renamed in the 20th Century from its former name of Tsarskoe Selo (
The Tsar's Village). Pushkin himself was an aristocrat and was educated here in the early 19th Century, but the Soviets had no problem using his name for the town; no matter what kind of government Russia has, Pushkin will always be a hero to Russians.
It was here that Rastrelli built the tsaritsas' country residence, known simply as The Catherine Palace. It is a fantastic edifice.
Here is a detail of the statues of Atlas, holding up the world, and the columns of the Catherine Palace. Russian-born Ayn Rand, a native of Leningrad, must have been inspired by them when she titled her powerful 1959 novel:
Atlas Shrugged.
Katya, our young guide, knew this area -- she always referred to it as
Tsarskoe Selo -- quite well, because her grandparents lived close-by the Palace. Her grandfather would take her to visit there on many a Sunday afternoon; explaining to the little girl how the Palace was originally built for Elizabeth, and named for her mother, Catherine the First (Peter's second wife); then it became the home of Catherine the Second (since the Winter Palace was becoming an ever-expanding museum). And now it was the play house for his red-haired granddaughter, who he always called 'Catherine the Third.' (Where would today's Russians be without their grandparents?!) The Palace is surrounded by a lovely park. In the center is a statue of Russia's greatest poet, Alexander Pushkin. It was a warm day, but the parasol seems a bit over-kill; it does add a nice touch of color to the picture...
And inside the Palace grounds are beautiful formal gardens.
But the real spectacle is the interior. Here is the view from the front staircase...
A beautiful wall clock. (Apparently someone forgot to change one of the bulbs)...
This magnificent place is the Palace's main ballroom.
This is not a Russian Stove (the kind you sleep on in the winter), it is a Dutch Stove. (Peter would've approved). After all, Catherine actually had to live here most of the year.
A banquet fit for an Empress.
This is a very beautiful room with fireplace. Note the narrow door to the right (probably a private powder room for Her Majesty?)
Some of the most beautiful surprises were in the park behind the Palace, an area Katya called "her backyard". This is a 200-acre wooded area, kept very natural, with unpaved paths and wonderful views. For example, here is the famous Cameron Gallery, named for Catherine's favorite architect: Charles Cameron...
Another lovely site is the Island Pavilion...
This unusual Pyramid structure is the tomb of Catherine's faithful dog, Winnie.(Unfortunately, Phoebe's camera needed to be charged, so we used this black-and-white repro of a 1910 card that we found in the gift shop)
What a wonderful way to get exhausted! We left Pushkin around 2 in the afternoon and returned to St. Petersburg, where Katya left us to our own devices.
