Copenhagen, Denmark (Day 2)

Today we took the local train to Hillerod to visit Frederiksborg Castle.

Frederiksborg Castle

Frederiksborg Castle was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV between 1602 to 1620.  The current castle replaced another castle that was built by Frederick II.  Frederiksborg Castle is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia.  It is located on three small islands in Slotsoen (Palace Lake).

Today the castle is the Museum of National History and houses a collection of historical paintings and portraits. 

The King's Prayer Chamber or Oratory contains paintings of the life of Christ by Danish artist Carl Bloch.  

Another view of Frederiksborg Castle

King Frederik VII was living in the palace when a fire broke out on December 16, 1859 and it destroyed a large part of the palace's interior.  The interior of the castle was reconstructed after the fire.

We wanted to take the train to Helsingor to see Elsinore Castle.  We missed the train by one minute.  The next one wasn't until an hour later.  We decided to go to Dragor instead.

Dragor is a quaint little fishing village just outside Copenhagen.  After wandering around the town for a while, we got back on the bus to the train station, and headed back to Copenhagen.

St. Petersburg, Russia Day 2

This morning we drove to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin).  It was the official residence of the Russian Tsars.

We visited Catherine Palace.  It was founded by Peter I for his wife Catherine I and was originally built in 1717.

Catherine Palace

It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1752 for her daughter Empress Elizabeth by Italian architect F.B. Rastrelli. The interior decoration was created by the best artists of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Nearby to Catherine Palace is the Cameron Gallery, designed by Charles Cameron.

 Cameron Gallery

We then had lunch with a family in St. Petersburg.  It consisted of a babushka (grandmother) and her daughter.  The granddaughter was away at college.

They served us borscht, beef, potatoes, and vegetables.  For dessert we had small pancakes served with blackberry jam and honey.

It was interesting to visit with the women and to see how three generations lived in a small apartment.  The granddaughter was supposed to be our interpreter, but since she wasn't there, our tour guide stayed and ate lunch with us.

After lunch we visited the Peter and Paul Fortress.  We went inside the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which is the burial place of the Romanovs.

Then it was on to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.  It was built as a memorial to honor Russian Emperor Alexander II, who was murdered on that spot by terrorists.

Khram Spasa na Krovi

The interior contains over 7,500 square meters of mosaics, supposedly more than any other church in the world.  The walls and ceilings are completely covered in mosaic pictures depicting scenes from the Bible and figures.

St. Petersburg, Russia

Docked in St. Petersburg this morning.  We were divided into groups of 10-12 and assigned a tour guide.

View of St. Petersburg 

Another view of St. Petersburg

And still another view of St. Petersburg...

Our first stop was to St. Nicholas' Church, also known as the Sailor's Cathedral locally.  The area where the church is was originally settled by sailors during the time of Peter the Great.  A wooden chapel was first built for them and named St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker.  

The wooden church was replaced by a stone church in 1753.  The interior walls are decorated with scenes from the history of the Russian navy.  It also houses ten 18th century icons given to the church by Catherine the Great.

St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral

Bell Tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral

Our next stop was the Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum.

We then had lunch at a local restaurant.  The menu was borscht and beef stroganoff.

After lunch we went to Peterhof Palace, the Russian Versailles.  This was the official summer residence of the Russian Tsars.

After the interior tour, we walked through the Lower Park with its 150 fountains, cascades and pavilions.

The Grand Cascade is modeled after the one built by Louis XIV at the Chateau de Marly.

Above you can see the Sea Channel (Morskoi Kanal), which bisects the Lower Gardens.  The Sea Channel is one of the most extensive waterworks from the Baroque period.

Other photos taken on the grounds of Peterhof Palace:

We then returned to the ship for dinner.  Then afterwards we went back into St. Petersburg to watch a Cossack Dancers show.

Sintra, Portugal

Sintra is just 15 miles northwest of Lisbon.  Portugal's kings would often come to Sintra for the summer.  Palacio Nacional housed royalty for 5oo years up until 1910.  Today it is still used for official receptions.

Sintra is a small town.  It is situated at the foot of a hill.