To St. Petersburg round the Baltic Cruise - St Petersburg Catherine Palace

Next day, we were up at 0550 because a) breakfast started at 0600 & b) we were expected to muster at 0710 for the trip to the Catherine Palace at Pushkin or Tsarskoe Selo (they don't seem to know whether to call it by the Soviet or old name). One first comes to a statue of Pushkin & then, a little church, where the Empress Elizabeth could kid herself she was communing with the people. (She left 12,000 dresses when she died). The palace itself is huge, gross & vulgar, with acres of gold leaf. Avis is not keen (to put it mildly) on the Baroque & this is over the top. We then had a nice walk round the grounds & heard a flautist play Lara's theme & then a piece of Shostakovich's Jazz Suite music, which I identified & described the origin of on the guide's tannoy. She had fitted us up with earphones, so what she had to say was clearer than the usual natural voice efforts. We were back at about 1130 but the early start had allowed us to dodge the tourists (what are we?) who were only let in later.

Pushkin

The Palace Church

Palace

Onions on the Palace

Inside the Palace - as in over-the-top vulgar

It is no better outside