Peterhof, bombed by Stalin, renovated as a great public park: St Petersburg.

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Our last day in St Petersburg: Petershof



The sun is up the sky is blue, I'm off to Peterhof, how 'bout you?

After reading advice on t'internet we took a metro to Avtovo (a beautiful station), then crossed the road to catch a 424. The bus cost 70 rubles: about 85p. It probably took us under an hour in total. Some nervousness about when to get off, but 90% of the customers were Peterhof bound, so there was no need to fear missing the stop.

We spotted lots of high rise living on the way punctuated by lots of green space and a few old timber houses from the past. Petrol spotted at a garage on the way, was 39.5 rubles a litre, about 48pence a litre!

We entered the estate by an open gate into the upper garden. Long avenues of manicured lime trees lead you past fountains, sculptures and lawns to the main palace building which is flanked by two smaller buildings with golden onion topped towers. To the right were turnstiles with computer ticket terminals where we paid 700 rubles each to access the gardens but not the palace interior.

The place was teeming ..... but we headed towards the Bath house where there were fewer punters and passed fountains and trees to get to the Gulf of Finland where we chilled out for a bit watching the hydrofoils come and go and taking in the sea air...... very tranquil.

1714. Versailles was the inspiration for Peter the Great's desire to build an imperial palace in the suburbs of his new city and, after an aborted attempt at Strelna, Peterhof - which means "Peter's Court" in German - became the site for the Tsar's Monplaisir Palace, and then of the original Grand Palace. The estate was equally popular with Peter's daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who ordered the expansion of the cascades.

The park was very green and wilder than I expected. Pathways are well kept and there is a big selection of fountains to engage with..... some involve the chance to race the spurts of water and get wet....... a hit with the young at heart.

I learnt that in the siege of Lennigrad, Stalin wrecked this place because he heard that Hitler was planning a having a celebratory banquet in the palace, so Russian bombs ensued. Party pooper though he may be.......(thanks John Edwards).

It's a great place to go in the sunshine, and big enough for individuals to find their niche...we went down by the water and sketched, just the ticket.

The Hydrofoil back cost 500 rubles and we caught the 3.15pm boat on the spot without any fuss. It took half an hour to reach the Winter Palace Quay in St Petersburg. You get a chance to see new suspension bridges being built, the odd cruise ship and some more high rise living.

The town was heaving today, a sunny Sunday, but still friendly and exciting to be in. We've had no difficulties, there's no litter, people are helpful and friendly and the cost of living, for a visiting tourist, is cheap!

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