Our Baltic Sea cruise on Princess Cruises - Friday, August 5, 2011-St. Petersburg, Russia (Day Two)

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Today was an early day for us. We were up at 5:30am for a 6:45am all day tour. After breakfast we proceeded to the annoying passport control to board our bus. Today our tour is all day and includes stops at Catherine’s and Peterhof Palaces. In between our tours of Palaces we are having lunch. I noticed before we boarded our tour bus that this is a popular tour. I counted 11 busses going on the same tour, wow. The weather was cloudy and drizzly at the port, however we got closer to town the clouds broke and it was sunny.

We drove by several of the same sights we saw on day one. I wish we were able to stop, however we needed to be at Catherine’s Palace by 9:00am.

Catherine’s Palace
I remember visiting this palace in 2003 when visited the Baltic. I recall how beautiful it was then and how beautiful it is now. Here is a little bit about the Palace. This was called the Winter Palace, however it ended up being the official home of the Russian Tsar’s. This palace was built by order of the Peter the Great’s wife, Catherine, as a surprise for her husband. The palace site is located on 1400 acres which included gardens and a few water fountains.

Before we could enter the palace, we walked around the exterior of the structure and took lots of photos. We had some free time to either take photos or shop at the small market. It sounds like we won’t have time to shop in Peterhof. The kids bought Russian eggs that have several pieces inside and my wife and I bought a small color sketch of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. The prices are high in Russia. The currency is Rubles.

We finally were able to enter the palace, what a site. We were required to wear shoe covers on our shoes. The interior is overwhelming to the senses and so much to take in. The exterior is Baroque style. We moved fast through the palace. Some of the most popular rooms we visited included the Grand Hall (Elton John played here at one time), Amber Room, Crimson Pilaster Room, Portrait Room, and White Vestibule.

After spending 1 hour at Catherine’s Palace, we made our way to the bus and heading to our lunch location. This was about a 30 minute ride.

Lunch
We ate lunch at a really neat traditional Russian restaurant. The name of the restaurant is Kpachbin Kabayok. We entered the building and worked our way up to the second floor. There were entertainers waiting for our tour playing traditional Russian music with various instruments. Lunch included a salad with no dressing, fish (not a good selection) with assorted vegetables, and a fruit tart dessert. On the table in front of each person were a glass of champagne and a shot of vodka. The vodka was very strong and even though you are to drink in one gulp. Whimpy me sipped it. My 15 year old son took one sip and said to smelt and tasted like hand sanitizer.

Peterhof Palace
One word describes this palace, incredible. It was said that Peter the Great, this was his palace, was jealous of the Versailles in Paris and he wanted to build his palace bigger and better. I think he succeeded. I have never seen such a colorful palace and grand in style. The most intriguing part of this palace was the gold plated fountains on the property. The tour guide told us that during World War II this palace was badly damaged and a lot of the art work was destroyed. There was an effort to save some of this.

Let me talk about the fountains. I not sure how many there were when we visited, however there were so many, it was overwhelming to the senses like Catherine’s Palace. Every one of the fountains looked different and each one had its own personality. I included a few photos.

The big challenge for my wife and I today was whether we would be able to get into Peterhof Palace. When we visited the site back in 2003, we waited in line for 75 minutes to learn that we could not tour the palace because President Clinton was touring. We also heard from a friend that tried to visit the palace several years ago and it was closed because President Bush was touring. We succeeded, we were able to enter the palace, however we could not take photos. We were required to wear shoe covers on our shoes. Like Catherine’s Palace, the grandness was incredible to the senses. It just amazes me that someone would own such a great building like this and have so much. We visited the Throne Room, Portrait Room, and White Dining Room.

These two palaces were totally worth the repeat visit, particularly being able to finally get into Peterhof.
We arrived back at the ship around 5:30pm absolutely worn out. Two days in St. Petersburg was awesome, however physically and mentally tiring. Enjoy the photos.

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