Blogs from Peterhof, Northwest, Russia, Europe

Being in Russia off-season has advantages and disadvantages. The major plus is that everywhere is quiet - that means no queues, and a bed in any hostel we choose, and Russians not sick to death of tourists, but also that we have the chance to get a sense of the natural vibe of the places we visit, rather than being lost in throngs of frenetic tourists. Overall, I'm glad to be here out of season. The downside, though, is that some places are closed for renovation, or just because it is off-season, or they don't look their best at this time of year. And so it was with Peterhof, which was open, but not ready: no fountains at this time of year, the outside of the palace entirely covered with scaffolding and sections of the interior ... read more

Peterhof is a place perhaps everyone has heard about, that’s why I will not dwell on it for a very long time. I know that tourists coming to Russia would first of all visit Moscow and St. Petersburg, and visiting St. Petersburg almost certainly involves a day trip to Peterhof. When one comes to St. Petersburg House of Book on Nevsky Prospect, there are several shelves filled with books devoted to St. Petersburg and all other nearby countries. So, I have always said, don’t expect any matter-of-fact information from me. I have been several times, five, in Peterhof and now I would like to briefly recollect the main emotions experienced there. The first time was perhaps the most emotional – in summer 2007. I am not sure whether I was there alone or with a friend ... read more

St. Petersburg - Peterhof The two attractions that drew me to St. Petersburg, apart from the Winter Palace, were the Catherine’s Palace at Tsarkoye Selo , with its fabulous Amber Room and the fountains of Peterhof. However, since we were visiting St. Petersburg in the first week of May, I was resigned to the idea that the fountains may not be playing. Typically, the fountains play from mid-May till mid-October. Imagine my delight when the guide told us that this year, they had started the fountains on 1st May itself. There was a grand ‘Opening of Fountains’ ceremony on that day. (We have a DVD with 2008 Ceremony.) However, as I did not want to be disappointed too bitterly, I kept telling Avi NOT to expect the fountains while I kept my fingers crossed. Looks like ... read more

Sain vasta asken liitettya edellisen tekstin blogiini. Olen taas tassa isantiemme koneella, joten saa nahda mita tasta tulee. Tama ei ole kovin nopea eika luotettava netti, vaikka isannillamme on ainakin kolme lapparia, jolla kayttavat tata langatontayhteyttaan. Taman paivan suuri saavutus oli, etta paasimme Eremitaasiin ilmaiseksi! Ymmarsimme nayttaa opiskelija korttejamme ja tati loi sitten vain liput kouraamme. Selkea ero Suomeen, mita olen taalla nain aivan ensiksi huomannut, on asiakaspalvelun naennainen toykeys. Tuskin he erityisesti tarkoittavat olla toykeita, mutta taalla hymyt eivat vain kuulu asiaan. Suomessa kaikkia asiakaspalvelu tyontekijoita neuvotaan aina olemaan ystavallisia ihmisille. Joillakin se menee sitten jopa tekohymyn puolelle. Taalla sellaisesta ei ole pelkoa. Hyvin happaman ja tiukan nakoisena metroluukun- tai kaupankassa hoitaa tehtaviaan. Joskus heidan vii... read more

We took a metro and then bus out into the country for the day to go to Peterhof, it was really cool just looking out the windows on the way there, the country is so different than being down in the heart of the city. Peterhof is amazing, definitely called the russian versailles for a reason, even in march when the fountains werent even on. The palace was enormous and spectacular, there are huge gardens leading up to the palace as well as a large fountain with a statue of neptune. Going around back there is a giant fountain down a hill leading out the gulf of Finland. I loved being in Russia in March, I cant really imagine it without the constant light snowfall and there were no crowds of tourists, anywhere! which was absolutely ... read more