St Petersburg Palaces
Russia
The Romanof Dynasty, including Tsars such as Catherine the
Great, who followed Peter the Great, built the most
grandiose palaces I have ever seen, both in quantity and
extravagant decorations.  This is the Palace of Petrodvorets,
near St Petersburg.  Above is a side view of its marvelous
fountains.  For a full view, click here .  
The Catherine Palace is in Pushkin, also near St
Petersburg.  Like Petrodvorets, it was destroyed in World
War II, and then rebuilt to full Tsarist glory.  The gold
crosses on this palace can be seen by clicking here.
The Catherine Palace's exterior design defies description.
Palace rooms also went to such excess that I suggest
you watch my free streaming video to see more of
them, plus the Petrodvorets fountains in action.
The Winter Palace, seized by the Communists to launch
their 1917 revolution, is now the Hermitage.   Great works
of art are displayed, starting with paintings and other
objects collected by the Tsars.  To see the Winter Palace,
which is green, click here .  This exhibit of the Tsar's golden
coach impressed me far more than the Hermitage's art.         
 
If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the
Intrepid Berkeley Explorer's free video of this trip,
"Tsar Trek", by clicking on AdventurePics.com .