Inside Catherine Palace

None of the pictures I took inside the Palace do justice to the grandeur and decadence. The expression of gilding the lily may have been based upon this place.

The craftsmanship is great. The art is marvelous. But the gold covering everything is just too much. It is unnecessary except as a means to flaunt wealth. Wealth that is being used for no purpose except to show off.

I could not help wondering how many common people in Russia were barely surviving while the Tsars lived surrounded by obscene expressions of wealth. It was nice to visit. But I would not want to live in this place.