In the footsteps of Peter the Great

Trip Start Jun 29, 2008
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Trip End Nov 27, 2008


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Saturday, August 30, 2008

For our first full day in St Petersburg, we caught the hydrofoil to Peterhof, Peter the Great's summer palace (why have only one when you can have two!).  This palace retreat, with extensive grounds and fountains, was created following Peter's visit to Versailles.  I actually liked it more than Versailles - for one thing, unlike in France, there are extensive lawns.  The palace also feels more liveable than Versailles, although occasionally they overdid the gold gilt for my tastes.  Like at Versailles, Peter also had a smaller separate living which he liked better, which was down on the water and had delightful gardens.  I befriended a cat that I found in the grounds - he seemed to appreciate the attention.
 
That evening, we went to the ballet to see Swan Lake.  The costumes and set were fantastic, as was the orchestra, but I was not as impressed with the dancing as I had hoped to be.  Indeed the Queensland Ballet, for me, outdoes them (they are very good).  They were not the number one ballet in town, though, as the Marinsky theatre (which houses the famous ballet school: previously the Kirov ballet school) was closed for that part of summer (very disappointing).
 
The following day, we dedicated to the Hermitage, housed in multiple buildings including the Winter Palace.  The building was an amazing setting for a museum, and one of the highlights of our visit was seeing its grandeur.  The Northern end of the Small Hermitage was my favourite, with the amazing Peacock clock, some impressive mosaics in the floor and tables, and an outlook over the River.  One of the temporary exhibits was by the Impressionist painters, so that was an extra bonus to the already good collection of artwork that fills the Hermitage.  We went on a tour of the Jewellery rooms, but were disappointed to find that no Faberge eggs were housed there.  They did, however, have some amazing stuff, including horse saddle blankets, one with 16000 diamonds on, the other with only 8000 (but don't worry, they were higher quality and all with 57 facets!).  They also had these great little cases for women to carry their necessities (generally nail scissors, tweezers etc).  They were gold little cases, bejewelled, and with gold contents (of course!).
 
We also had a chance to go cathedral hopping, to St Isaacs and Kazan cathedral, and to the Church of the Spilled Blood of our Saviour.  They were all very different in style.  It is lucky that they even remain, as the Communists did not allow religion and planned to destroy many of the churches.  St Isaacs was turned into a "museum of Christian mythology".
 
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