More Russian Opulence

Day 3 of our stay in St. Petersburg.  After yesterday's adventure, we decided to take the day off today, and just relax on board, as we're both feeling a little tired! 

This is a photograph of the famous Amber Room inside the Summer Palace in Tsarskoe Selo (now known as Pushkin).  We visited this astonishing example of over the top opulence on our first evening in St. Petersburg, and we were very lucky that we were allowed to photograph this space, as they normally ban cameras in there.  As we were a private group, they relaxed the rules.  It is absolutely eye-popping in its lavishness -- and an amazing sight considering that this is a recreation of the original, which was dismantled and stolen by the Nazis during World War II.  According to Wikipedia, the restoration was "a process that was to last 24 years and require 40 Russian and German experts in amber craftsmanship. Using original drawings and old black-and-white photographs, every attempt was made to duplicate the original Amber Room. This included the 350 shades of amber in the original panels and fixtures that adorned the room.  Another major problem was the lack of skilled workers, since amber carving was considered a nearly lost art form."