No visit to St.Petersburg is complete without a visit to the famous Peterhof Palace and Gardens…known as the Russian Versailles. Built on the Gulf of Finland for Peter the Great the Grand Palace commands great views over a series of Cascades, Fountains and Park Land.
Both the Palace and the Gardens literarily drip with gold. We were expecting to find a Palace of opulence but not quiet as bold and dramatic as discovered. It is with a little regret that I cannot show you the interior which is truly magnificent as photography is not permitted….but the Fountains and Gardens are equally as stunning………
When you exit the Palace the sound of the cascades and spectacle of the fountains, though expected, still takes you by surprise with both its size and drama….The water to feed the Fountains is piped some 14 miles, flows down the Cascades into a long canal and on into the Gulf of Finland
Despite warnings that there will be a lot of visitors the shear numbers still comes as something of a shock….but share these views you must and the collective excitement is invigorating…so join in…….
The Cascades are the most dramatic and the most detailed of water features I have seen. Every Urn, Statue and spout is gold so that even on a dull day when combined with the sparkling water still add a shine to the day…..
Detail abounds even on such simple structures as this Bird House tucked away in the woodland….
There is also some humour to be had in the garden…..here a Pathway of Stone has a secret. They say that one of the stones is magic and should you step on it a fountain will appear. Of course lots of folk do try to discover the magic stone….
and some ‘lucky ‘folk search and eventually discover that secret stone…then whoosh the fountain burst into life….
Magic it is………
but maybe that man with a blue cap sitting behind the bench has something to do with it!
So if you want to see the lush golden interior, which is indeed just too fantastic to describe without images, then you better make the trip for yourselves. The visit was over all too soon but the memories will long remain….
Tomorrow we remain in Russia so join us on our next visit…you will be welcome – after all with all these crowds what difference will a few more make!
23 July
© David Oakes 2013
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 