Peterhof without "the public"

So LOL as I said in my last post - we were headed to Peterhof on a Monday the day it is closed to the public... except the public who are willing to pay double to go on the day it is closed (read this as every cruise ship in town on Mondays LOL) - so despite being up early and arriving basically at opening time we are still behind hordes of Asian tour groups LOL

The deal has changed dramatically here since our last visit- NO PHOTOS indoors AT ALL- and NO LOITERING IN ANY ROOM - the room attendants move it along like a conveyor belt - although without anyone stopping for photographs things do tend to move in a more orderly fashion anyway.

so here are a few photos from the inside from the last trip -

you may want to make note of the dearth of people on the terrace in the photo below- and compare with the photos from this trip-

this photo was exhibited in the palace both times but now is in a gallery where you cannot take pictures-  this was the shell they worked with that was reconstructed to the lavish palace of today

now on to our most recent visit- all exterior photos only- notice the number of people on the terrace awaiting the fountains start up -

We headed out from the grounds and to save us time so we can have more free time in the city we eat lunch at what can only be termed a banquet hall (likely owned by Russian Mafia) an extremely mediocre meal but it WAS pretty quick.... we headed into town and were given many options for things to see and do- we had already decided we wanted to visit the Church on Spilled Blood since it was under renovation  the last time we were here and we had never been inside.

even the fence surrounding the property is magnificent!

at 6PM we set sail for Helsinki Finland - through the Gulf of Finland - from our dock on the Neva right in front of the first bridge.  We have had a terrific front row seat to the city - and we leave you with two views of the river banks, one to the port side and one to the starboard side - both lovely- and etched in our memories of St Petersburg - the city as a museum

onward- we are closing in on the end of our journey. We have only two more nights aboard ship and four more on the trip before returning home... but still many great things were seen and done so don't miss out on the upcoming posts on Helsinki and Stockholm.... the weather held for the remainder of the trip so we have much more to show you! stay tuned....

suspend the superlatives

none of them suffice for the wonder of the city as a museum - the city center is a gem that rewards your eyes at every turn.  We arrived in the early morning and awoke to the sight of a church dome gleaming in the morning light across the river... but it is nothing compared to the incredible onion domes of the Church on Spilled Blood-

the view from our cabin balcony that morning (below) and Spilled Blood domes above-

after breakfast we gathered to do a city tour and stop at St Isaac's Church (located across from the hotel we stayed in for eight nights last time) a favorite of Phil's- and a pit stop at a souvenir store (LOL "they don't mind if we use the toilets and they are clean...") Then across the river and a photo op stop across from the Hermitage.  Our day is planned around entering the Hermitage just after an early lunch so we can beat the afternoon crowds - the big cruise ships go in the mornings apparently and then the rest of the world in the afternoon LOL  So, we hope to time it so we are somewhere after the cruise ships and before the rest of the world.  

the dome of St Isaac from outside and interior views- 

the souvenir store - tough to pass up these hats but since we don't do winters anymore we had to say Nyet!

came close to inquiring about the pricing on this painting in a gallery but somehow kept myself under control LOL

we leave the souvenir - toilet store and go across the river- thought you might like to see a STOP sign in Cyrillic...

a view across the Neva towards the Hermitage side

the Peter and Paul Fortress-

then it was time for our early lunch - which we had in a lovely restaurant called PECTOPAH (RESTAURANT) - beef stroganoff and borscht and celery salad and mille feuille for dessert 

then we rushed to the Hermitage and barged to the front of the line (turned out our time was earlier than the group waiting at the rope so we got to go ahead LOL)

the Hermitage is a perfect example of the museum as a museum every gallery of this museum (Winter Palace) is a work of art in itself.  I might actually say I find the museum itself as enticing as the art works it contains- stunningly beautiful buildings...

the Grand Staircase entrance hall - 

gallery after gallery of gold and crystal- and although there are people here it is not as crowded as it was on our last visit - but then we were here at the peak season in a peak year - the 300th anniversary and white nights (June 21st and summer solstice)

this is an interesting gallery - the war dead - and if the person didn't have a portrait painted before their death in battle then a space is held by the framed green blank-

look up - look down- even the floors are works of art!

a view from a window between buildings-

and yes they have Rembrandts!

and here is the quintessential museum photo - whether it be in front of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre or a Monet or in the case below a Michelangelo- followed by the wikipedia photo of the crouching boy so that you can actually see it LOL

and just to prove my point - LOL

anyway- we spent a number of hours there and Phil opted to stay and extra hour to 90 minutes to revisit some galleries which he said he had all to himself that late in the afternoon. As before we were reminded of Stendhal Syndrome- like the Louvre - this is a place best taken in small bits over several days - and our recommendation would be to go closer to closing time as the crowds do thin out....

The next day another massively popular sight is on our schedule - Peterhof Palace - where the ship has paid double to get us (along with only a few thousand others) on the day the palace is closed to the public (LOL- not sure how they define "public" since clearly there were plenty of people there LOL but more on that later - because this post is already quite photo intensive...so stay tuned-