A Palace in Pushkin

I have exactly one week left in St. Petersburg, and today I took my last big excursion in Russia. I really enjoyed my adventure today, and it is in the top three of the best things I have done since being in Russia.

I woke up earlier than I would have liked to on a Saturday. It was a beautiful day out and I put my sunscreen on before leaving. For me, the smell of sunscreen signals that an adventure is about to take flight. I was ready and extremely excited. A few of us hopped on a "mini-taxi" and headed out of the city to one of its suburbs. A group of Italian tourists joined our ride, and their lively chatter added an extra level of enthusiasm to our journey. The constant "Ciao Bella" that persisted non-stop for almost five minutes shall forever be my go-to Italian phrase.

We reached the suburb, a quaint little place called Pushkin. As we drove through the town, we quickly realized that it was no ordinary Russian city. It had a quaint, magical element about it. And yes, I used "quaint" to describe the area twice; it is not that I lack the vocabulary, but the fact that quaint really does summarize Pushkin excellently. I loved the atmosphere of the town, it was a new experience that you cannot find in a large city.

When we finally arrived at our destination, I was filled with a wild anticipation. I knew that I needed to come here when I first learned that I would be studying in St. Petersburg for a summer. I had read numerous books that included this place. So much history was contained on these grounds, so much history that I have devoured. Today, I finally got to experience a place that had only resided in my imagination, Tsarskoe Selo.

Catherine's Palace

Catherine's Palace

Palace Interiors

Tsarskoe Selo contains two palaces, expansive grounds, and several other infrastructures. Catherine's Palace and Park is the most well-known and most visited part of Tsarskoe Selo. And that is where we set out for first. The exterior of the palace was extensive and ornate. After standing in lines for about two hours, we were finally walking up the staircase to the palace interiors. We thought the outside of the palace was ornate, but it was nothing compared to the inside. The rooms were covered in gold engravings, there was so much gold! The ballroom was designed entirely of mirrors and gold. The dinning room and drawing rooms were decked out in their own fair share of gold. It was surprising to believe that people actually lived here on a daily basis.

And then we stumbled upon the famous Amber Room. The Amber Room is an entire room made out of amber. It is absolutely incredible, elaborate, ridiculous, beautiful, and expensive. And it was all a gift from the Prussian king to Peter the Great. During World War II, the room was looted by Nazis and most of the original materials have never been seen again. Two parts of the room have been discovered and returned, but the rest of the room has been refurnished due in part to a large contribution from a German company.

Catherine Park

Catherine Park

After the palace, we explored the Catherine Park. It was huge and gorgeous. Beautiful landscapes, numerous buildings scattered throughout the grounds, and a large lake in the middle made the park very picturesque. It was so pleasant just to stroll by the waters edge, feeling the light breeze, and slowly taking in all of the sights and sounds.

The construction of the Catherine Palace began in 1717 under the orders of Catherine I. Elizabeth I added much of the extravagant exterior. However, the palace is most often associated with Catherine the Great who actually disapproved of the reckless lavishness of the palace. After Catherine's death, the palace was abandoned for one of the several other palaces in the Romanov family's possession. One such palace was the nearby Alexander Palace.

We walked through the Catherine Park and then walked across a street and entered the Alexander Park. This park was not as elaborate in its design, but it was quieter as we roamed under canopies of trees. After a little wandering, we found the palace.

Alexander Palace

The Alexander Palace was commissioned by Catherine the Great for her favorite grandson, Alexander I. Four tsars and their families lived in this palace, but it is best known as the favorite residence of Nicholas II and his family. And this one particular place was the entire reason I wanted to come to Tsarskoe Selo.

I would not call Nicholas II my favorite tsar, but his story is the one I am most fascinated by and the one that motivated me to study Russian. In my readings, I have learned so much about him and his family's time spent at Tsarskoe Selo. I knew I needed to visit Alexander Palace, and it did not disappoint.

Clothes wore by the family

Billiards Room

When I first saw the palace, I knew immediately why Nicholas and his wife, Alexandra, loved it so much. In comparison with all the other Romanov palaces I have visited, the Alexander Palace is the simplest and least ornate. In my mind, the design of the palace fit perfectly with what I knew of the family and their personalities. And inside, I felt at home, as I knew the layout because of my readings. The family lived in one wing of the palace on two floors. And the wing consisted of one hallway with rooms on either side. We were only able to walk through the first floor, but I knew Alexandra's rooms and Nicholas's rooms. The rooms were so homey and so much like I pictured. I saw outfits the family wore, the icons they prayed to, the desks Alexandra and Nicholas wrote love letters to each other on, the room Alexandra spent her time in on the countless occasions she was ill. I could imagine the family living in this palace and then, after Nicholas's abdication, their confinement in the wing. It was all so real and all so wonderful to me.

In case you have not stumbled upon the fact, I love history. I love what other people's lives can teach us. I love learning from previous mistakes, and then improving upon them the next time. I view historical analysis as a building block to carving out new paths for the future. Books can only get you so far, eventually you have to view the history firsthand. And that is what I was able to do today. I got to visit the home of a family that I know so well and have learned so much from, a family who's story helps define a country's past.