Russia, Day 27

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Peterhof
 

 Day Twenty-Seven 

We woke up and decided to try something new.  We started the day by flagging down a taxi and going straight to the Winter Palace embankment.  We didn’t feel up to taking the metro.  Plus, we were getting started a little later than we should have.  We reached the embankment and walked over to the dock where we bought hydrofoil tickets to the Peterhof Palace.  The Peterhof trip, by hydrofoil, was one facet that I had long been planning.  I was excited about it.   

When the time came, we got on the hydrofoil and got some decent seats that would enable us to look out and see the city as were leaving.  Sure enough, the hydrofoil took us a direction we had not been.  We went by a stadium.  We saw some apartment blocks and some junk boats near the shores.  Once we got past the big islands, the hydrofoil put it in high gear.  I did notice some sail boats and some yachts.  In the distance, you could see huge ships and vessels.  I wondered how close we actually were to Finland.   

Well, we didn’t go to Finland.  Instead, Peter the Great’s summer palace was in our sights.  It’s commonly known as Peterhof.  It’s been expanded and reconstructed numerous times.  In fact, during WWII, it was obliterated by the invading Nazis.  And it has taken up until now to fully rebuild it to its original splendor.  Peterhof is known as Russia’s Versailles.   

The hydrofoil pulled up to the dock.  After disembarking, we bought tickets at a kiosk and walked towards the magnificent estate.  The beautiful ornate fountains formed the perfect “red carpet” all the way to the Palace.  It was beyond description.  On either side of the fountains were immaculate gardens with park benches and flower beds.  The gardens alone could be admired for hours.  They were very lush and consisted of various species of plants and trees.  Also, on the grounds, were other beautifully-designed buildings that housed workers and family of the aristocracy.  There were also tea houses and cottages.   

We walked up the fountain trail.  We looked back at the hydrofoil ever so often, admiring the view down to the waterfront.  I decided to do what a lot of the kids were doing: get some ice cream.  A bit later we walked up the incline to the top of the fountains.  There was a beautiful gold fountain with individually unique sculptures.  It was truly stunning. When we got up there, we started looking around.  There were people dressed as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.  There was also a royal band playing various songs that would have been played for the Court back in those times. 

We walked around to the backside of the Palace, which may have actually been the front.  There we caught a glimpse of the Palace gardens – the real gardens.  It was almost overwhelming at that point.  We then decided to go sit in the park near the fountains.  I was intrigued by the number of people out there.  It was not just foreign tourists either.  Russian families were there just enjoying the gardens.  There were also locals using the beaches down by the waterfront.   

Well, we couldn’t sit in the park or even just walk around all day.  The sun was bearing down and the palace interior was beckoning.  We decided to go ahead and view the palace.  We paid the exorbitant ticket price, slipped on our shoe covers and began the self-guided tour.  Up to that point, we had been greatly impressed by the Yusupov Palace and the Hermitage (the Winter Palace).  We didn’t know if Peterhof would be in the same league.  Shortly after seeing the first couple of “rooms” we concluded that the Pertehof was extraordinary in its own right.  From the ceiling murals to the priceless furniture to the grand halls and throne room to the dazzling color schemes, Peterhof was sensational, and very worth the ticket price.  After finishing the tour, we bought a couple of DVDs.  Another great day!  We left the palace, constantly reminding ourselves of the fact we didn’t have a camera.  The DVDs would have to do!  We marched down the fountain cascade back to the dock.  Soon after, we got on a hydrofoil and headed back to the city. 

Back on Nevsky, we walked to the Literary Café, which overlooked the Anchikov Bridge and a canal.  The Literary Café was where Pushkin had his last meal before heading off to duel with the man he believed was making advances towards his wife.  On the ground floor of the café is a wax figure of Pushkin with a worried, anxious look on his face.  He’s seated at a table near a window.  We found out later that Pushkin actually had a table in the upstairs dining room, where we were going to eat.  I’m guessing that the proprietors of the Literary Café felt having a wax figure of Pushkin in the dining room would be a little too much for customers to stomach. 

We got a seat near a window, perhaps in the very corner where Pushkin dined for the last time.  We ordered some traditional Russian fare and listened to the piano player and singer.  We were a bit underdressed.  Our serious-acting waiter not withstanding, our time there was very relaxing and the cuisine was better than average. 

Later that day, we jumped on Tram 16, and took it to our apartment.  At the tram stop, I saw a couple of older ladies with a young child.  I actually got their attention to let them know the tram was on the way.  Apparently, on that line, the tram doesn’t come very frequently.  At a stop, just before our place, a very old lady with a heavy bag of produce was trying to get on the tram.  With other people around, I grabbed her bag for her and put it on the tram.  She was very grateful.  Her face showed signs of a very old and hard life.  I just admired the fact she could leave her flat and go buy groceries for herself.  This reminds me, on another tram ride, I helped another lady take her heavy bag off the tram.  It was an easy feat for me.  It was nice helping someone. 

Kade and I rested up a bit in the evening.  When we started to grow hungry, we walked down Marata Street a bit to a restaurant that the apartment owner Marsha recommended.  It was a very nice, newly-built restaurant and micro-brewery.  We went in and got a seat.  Strangely enough, as nice as the place was, there were not many customers for the time of day it was.  It should have been hopping with business!  We ordered baked ribs, fries and a light beer.  The fries were excellent; the rest was okay.  The waitress was super-nice.  She had moved to St. Petersburg from Uzbekistan, of all places.  We tried talking some, but it didn’t get very far.  The service was outstanding and we gave her a nice tip.