A painting (many masters and even impressionists were on display)
Hallway of a different style
Detail of painting
A Michaelangelo was one of many masterpieces inside
Masters were displayed thusly
Door detail
Catherine the Great
Peter (the other Great -- there were only two Greats)
Coffered ceiling
Some smaller masterpieces
Malachite (emerald green stone) is precious
Lunch included entertainment on the first day (click image for video)
A stop after lunch included St. Isaac's Square
Flowers and weddings adorned the square
With a concert to follow?
Then off to Yusopov's Palace (he killed Rasputin, which maybe was not a bad thing)
The grand staircase
Sitting room?
Mirror, fireplace, and chachkas
Chandelier
Typical room of the palace
Floor was nothing special
Music room
Tapestry
Our berth in St. Pete was rather industrial also -- end of day 1
The summer palace in Peterhof was an emulation of Versailles
How much gold leaf is enough?
They restored everything after the siege of Leningrad in WWII
Gold leaf on most statues
Not surprisingly they made us wear slippers over our shoes here