PUSHKIN
This Palace just oozed opulence. It was our first "oooh/aahh" experience. But the exhibit at the end of the tour showed you how much restoration really took place. This is what the restorers started with after the war:
And this is what exists today:
Amazing! The gold leaf alone was painstakingly restored. Artisans
were still working as we toured the palace.
Booties were required 
special thanks to Jim David for some of these pix. It was he who took these illegal photos of the amber room. The original was destroyed. So they took tons of amber and recreated it in amazing detail.