Inaugural Baltic Cruise told in Photos

[Marla Hellwig]

Dave - long time no see

Just got back last night from our July 18 Baltic cruise and loving your pictures

 

[TheLionKing]

More interior photos of the walls, ceilings, and decorative arts

Michelangelo's "Crouching Boy"

 

[TheLionKing]

These pages are taking some time to load so I will limit this to 3 photos per post.

More interiors of the Hermitage.

 

[TheLionKing]

 

[TheLionKing]

It seems many museums have hall dedicatyed to the generals who helped to defeat Napoleon. This was Russia's homage to their generals.

More interiors.

 

[TheLionKing]

More furniture and interiors

 

[TheLionKing]

Just a very very small sample of the artwork. The museum has art from the middle ages and Renaissance, dutch masters, spanish masters, landscapes, Impressionists, abstractionists and probably more that we didn't have time to see.

We will leave the Hermitage for a canal cruise of the city of St Petersburg in the next post.

 

[TheLionKing]

The Neva River runs through St Petersburg. Like many of the capital cities in the Baltic, they were enamored with canals like those in Amsterdam and St Petersburg was no exception.

This is the Neva river with one of the hydrofoils that would take people across the harbor.

The day we were in St Petersburg was graduation day so many of the students including those in the military related schools were out an about in their uniforms celebrating.

The canals were lined with buildings and walkways.

 

[TheLionKing]

Back on the Neva river.

This is the ship whose canon signaled the beginning of the Revolution.

 

[TheLionKing]

 

[figment52]

I have got to take this cruise!! Thank you for sharing.

 

[TheLionKing]

In the morning we were off to Cathryn's Palace in Pushkin.

Cathryn's Palace was occupied by the Germans in World War 2. The palace had to be renovated and redone. The amazing Amber Room is recreated but still a sight to see, but no photography is allowed in this room. the remainder of the palace was open to photography. A state dinner was being planned for that time and one room was set up with banquet tables.

On the road to Pushkin

We arrive in Pushkin and walk to the palace.

The ornate gate around the palace.

 

[TheLionKing]

Inside the gate. I don't have a wide enough angle lens to show the extent of the front grounds and palace.

The facade of the building is beautiful.

 

[TheLionKing]

The main gate from the inside grounds

More of the front of the palace.

 

[TheLionKing]

Inside Catherine's Palace

This is the room being set up for a special dinner for visiting dignitaries at an economic summit going on in St. Petersburg.

 

[TheLionKing]

Closer photo of the walls.

More rooms inside the palace.

 

[TheLionKing]

Catherine the Great, the palace's namesake.

Another gallery for paintings from practically floor to ceiling.

Another photo of a ceiling.

A close up of stand.

 

[TheLionKing]

Another room with bas reliefs on the walls.

Czar Nicholas II who was the last Romanov Czar and killed in the Revolution.

Hi son which carried the gene for Hemophilia and attempts to try to control his medical disease brought Rasputin to prominence.

 

[TheLionKing]

The grounds behind Catharine's Palace

 

[TheLionKing]

Outside the palace walking the gauntlet of souvenir stands.

We finally bid a fond farewell to St. Petersburg and head off to Helsinki.