Amber was not just for Dinosaur DNA

We boarded the bus on  a fairly cool Friday morning  to tour one of Russia's most famous palaces. Naturally it was from the years in which the czars ruled the country, but this palace was not named for one of the czars but rather for the wife of a czar. The palace is known as Catherine's Palace and is often thought to be the palace of Catherine the Great. Not true. Catherine the First was the wife of Peter the Great, and it is her name that is lent to the palace.

Catherine I was quite an interesting person.  Her time and place of birth is not known; only that it was not in Russia. She was a servant girl when she caught the eye of Peter the Great. There are very few "rags to riches" stories that can top this one; from servant girl to Empress of Russia.  

The palace itself follows the grand European style of palaces and was completed in 1756. The exterior is blue with gilded stucco. More than 220 pounds of gold were used in decorating the exterior and various statuary. That would be worth $3.6 million today.  It is rumored that even the roof is covered in gold. As we walked through the rooms of the palace which are open to visitors, we commented on the features it had in common with the abodes of other monarchs of the era. Ceilings were high and decorative. Windows were huge, primarily floor to ceiling in height. There was extensive use of mirrors, and there were huge paintings, some ten by twenty feet in height and width. There was a total lack of tapestries, which we had seen in most european palaces. Huge ceramic stoves were in many rooms. 

 The grandest feature of this palace is the Amber Room. Amber is fossilized tree resin. You may recall that in Michael Crichton's novel, Jurassic Park,  the dinosaur DNA was found in amber. Amber has been coveted for centuries as a semi-precious gemstone. In Catherine's Palace the world famous Amber Room has the walls covered

with thin layers  of amber. The beauty of the amber is enhanced by gold leaf and reflecting mirrors. The room literally glows. No photographs are allowed in the amber room. The room was first assembled in a palace in Prussia and then given to Peter the Great, Catherine's husband, as a gift to seal an alliance against the Swedes. Ordinary words cannot adequately  describe it. Like most palaces of the 18th century, Catherine's Place has beautiful gardens as well.  These are formal gardens beautifully designed and maintained.  There are blooming plants and statues galore.  There are small structures, garden houses to allow guests a bit of privacy for perhaps a tet-a-tet or rendezvous. As we wandered the gardens our guide, Natasha, filled our ears with facts about the palace. Our grandiose surroundings had been enjoyed by the eighteenth century Russian aristocracy, and the lady who built all that we saw began life as a servant!