Pavlovsk is the name of a small town which takes its name from the palace and park that are the main site in the area. Pavlovsk is just a short distance from the town of Pushkin, which is home to the Catherine Palace. We took the elektrichka (electric train) from St. Petersburg. It was only about a twenty minute trip by train from the south of St. Petersburg and just the next train stop down from the Catherine Palace. I had been there once when I was here in St. Petersburg in college, but Amanda had never been there. Pavlovsk's park is different from the parks at most of the other palaces in that it is much less manicured and much more natural. It is also one of the largest which makes it a great place to go to get outside of the city and feel closer to the natural world.
The palace was built by Paul (Pavel), the son of Catherine the Great and briefly the Tsar of Russia (he was assassinated in 1801 after just five years on the throne). In addition to the palace, there are a number of other buildings in the park, including several pavilions, statues, and imitation ruins (it was stylish in the 18th century to build structures that looked like Greco-Roman ruins). There is also a small river flowing through the center of the park and several ponds.
While not all of the leaves had started changing, there were still plenty of colors to be seen in the forests of Pavlovsk. It was also nice because there are hills in Pavlovsk which is a change from the completely flat ground of St. Petersburg. We had a gorgeous day with a beautiful blue sky. While there were other people there, the crowds were not too bad and the size of the park means that it doesn't really feel crowded, which is a nice change of pace compared to other palaces/parks like Peterhof and the Catherine Palace.
Below are some photos that we took during the day. Enjoy!
The famous Russian squirrel! The park even had special tables that sold a variety of nuts and seeds to use to feed the squirrels and birds. Everyone in the park loves the squirrels and is just as excited to see them as we are.
The ponds and river made for several good photos with reflections.
The Temple of Friendship- one of the buildings located throughout the park grounds
Me on a bridge:-)
Amanda standing next to one of the pillars on the Temple of Friendship
One side of the palace
The central part of the palace.
Amanda took this close up of a flower with dew on it.
A trellis with fragrant plants of some kind growing on it (I'm not much of a gardener:-))
The palace from the back.
With the trees arranged like this, it only seemed natural to do this.
A closer look at one of the ruins
Amanda showing off one of the fruits of fall:-)
Today it has been raining, so I'm glad that we were able to go yesterday. Please don't forget to pray for our spiritual retreat which starts tomorrow after school and runs through Wednesday! We will have pictures and a description of everything that happened later on.
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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