Mid-Afternoon Adventure

I must say that I had one of the best weekends ever. On Saturday morning, Karlie, Katie, Marie, Miles, Maxime and I ventured to my (Katherine the Great of course) summer estate, Tsaritsino Palace. The palace was commissioned by Catherine the Great as her summer palace in 1775, but because the palace wasn’t up to the Empress’s standards she had it torn down and rebuilt (minor budget setbacks- aka zero money- prevented the estate from finishing during her lifetime). Can you say diva? I like her already!
Anyway, we entered Tsaritsino Palace through a heavily wooded area, which was quite shocking to find in Moscow. Combine the snow on the ground, on the trees and the snow falling from the sky, it created a wistful and magical ambiance that continues through our adventure. I fully plan to venture back to the park when it’s a little warmer and walk along the trails.
Now to the estate- it’s a miniscule little place, quite humble and cozy. Yeah, I’m totally kidding, this place was gigantic! Katie McKee and I had a fabulous time walking around speaking in British accents about “our palace” (it is our namesake after all…). I couldn’t help but imagine the decadent world Catherine the Great must have lived in to envision such grandeur. It definitely wasn’t too shabby!
However, after venturing through chilly temperatures and snow, we were in desperate need of some heat. Fortunately we came across a fabulous little coffee shop and delighted in ordering some coffee and blini (similar to crepes). The café itself was an aged house that had been renovated to accommodate guests. It was adorable and capped off a picturesque mid-afternoon adventure.
*Special thanks to Marie and Katie whose pictures I used for the slideshow!