Tsarskoye Selo

Tsarskoselsky Pavilion restaurant, where we stopped for lunch

When we finished at Peterhof, we piled back into the mini van for a drive across the countryside to Tsarskoye Selo (or Pushkin). First we stopped for lunch at the Tsarskoselsky Pavlion restaurant, which had been pre-arranged by Red October. We enjoyed Russian salad, Borsch, grilled salmon with lemon, bread & butter and mineral water. For desert we were treated to hot tea (or coffee) and Russian oladi -- thick pancakes with Russian jam. The food was delicious.

After lunch we headed down the road for more sightseeing. Our first stop was at Alexander Palace, the favorite Imperial residence of Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. This was the most run-down place we visited, and very depressing. Almost appropriate, considering how Nicholas II and his family were held here under house arrest before they were shipped off to Siberia and later executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Next, we drove a few yards down the road to Catherine's Palace. Named after its creator, Empress Catherine, the second wife of Peter the Great, the original palace was built between 1717 and 1723. The palace was expanded later in the century and given a new, richly decorated Baroque facade. The Catherine Palace houses some beautiful Baroque interiors, including the luxurious Grand Hall, a long, gold, mirrored ballroom. The Palace also boasts a unique Amber Room, whose priceless amber panels were stolen by Nazi troops during WWII, but which are now being painstakingly recreated by Russian craftsmen.

After touring the inside of Catherine's Palace, we also spend some time walking around outdoors. The estate is huge! It even includes an artificial lake. Other structures in the "back yard" include the Neo-Classical Cameron Gallery and Cameron's Cold Bath House.

When we finished walking the grounds with Luba, Alexander caught up with us in the mini van and we headed back to St. Petersburg in anticipation of the evening gala at Yusupov Palace.