St. Petersburg Day 8: Peterhof
Today was a relatively easy day - we took a 45-minute drive to Peterhof, the summer residence of the tsars. Why do they need a summer residence? Just because they can have one and because the wind coming from the Gulf of Finland (that's the one behind us in the picture) cools them down during the hot 17 degree months.
The palace itself was amazing - done mostly in the Baroque style, which meant even more gold than we've seen in their temples. I mean, look at how ornate everything is! From the chandeliers to the gilded doors, frescoed walls and antique furniture. This is how the tsars hoped to catch up to the French, who were the clear leaders in European aristocracy at that time. One thing that surprised me was the China Room where they had watercolor paintings on the wall of Chinese life and Chinese porcelain and vases all around. This was apparently all the rage at that time - but you'll never find any Chinese palace with European style or stuff. Proof of superiority? :D
But what was really breathtaking were the natural fountains that surrounded the palace gardens. Peter the Great had scoured the whole city looking for the perfect place to build his fountains, the highest of which shot up to 21m - out of sheer natural force! He built his palace at the foot of a hill and every night, they shut off the tap so the waters would collect and push against the entrance. When released in the mornings, they rushed out creating the 21 natural fountains surrounding the palace. Amazing.
What was really funny was that they had what they called "trick fountains" because the royals had a sick sense of humor. For example, you would be innocently sitting on a bench or walking along a pathway when suddenly, spurts of water would be upon you, as what happened to me and Ezer. These days, can you believe they actually hire someone whose job it is to hide in wait and turn the fountain on and off for hapless tourists?
We passed by an amazing church on the way back to town, which was the favorite of Tsar Alexander. Can't say I blame him.
This afternoon, we're going on a boat cruise of the city. Yey yey yey!
posted by moan @ 5:03 PM
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