Tis morning our tour is to Peterhof. This place is a series of palaces and gardens, laid out on orders of Peter the Great, and sometimes referred to as the Russian Versailles. It is located a bit west and south of the city, overlooking the Gulf of Finland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Elsa, our guide today is another treasure.
On the 45 minute drive, Elsa tells us about changes in living arrangements in St Petersburg. She says that during the Soviet period, people began commune living, where an entire family had only one room in an apartment. Other families had the other rooms and all shared kitchen and bath.This has been gradually changing, but enough new housing is not available, so more than one third of the residents here still live commune style. New construction is going on. Families sell their single room to get money to put down on an apartment of their own. Wealthier people buy up the single rooms one by one in an apartment, and so eventually own an entire apartment of their own. The population of the city has been declining, so the government has been offering substantial financial incentives to couples to have children. The funds must be used for either housing or for education of the child. So the past couple of years has seen the birth rate increase.
At Peterhof, there is a gauntlet of souvenier vendors. We walk past and ito the complex, where we wait at the topof the promenade for the fountains to be turned on at 11. The palace stands high on a hill and has hundreds of fountains spouting water which flows in cascades down levels like steps on a long hill into a canal that reaches the Gulf of Finland. From the front of the palace, one can see this entire grandstaircase of fountains and cascades. Perhaps the greatest technologic achievement of Peterhof is that all these fountains operate without pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs, collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The elevation difference creates the pressure that drives most of the fountains in the Lower Garden, including the GrandCascade. The Sampson fountain is supplied by a special aqueduct, drawing water and pressure from a high-elevation source. Of course, everywhere there are statues of gold. The largest fountain is of Sampson defeating the Lion, which is the symbol of Russia defeating the Swedes. We tour the fountains and gardens with Elsa describing it all. Given some free time, we stop at an outdoor cafe for some tea and pastry. We walk a long elevated walkway taking photos and watching people. There is a couple in 1700's costume offering to pose with tourists for photos. It is fun to watch. The man gets down on one knee as if proposing and looks so lovingly into the tourists eyes that she becomes uncomfortable.
Back on the bus and to the ship for lunch before the Rivers and Canals tour. We get into a small boat on the canal in St. P and the guide points out the various types or architecture. To maintain the UNESCO status, no buildings may be built higher than the Winter Palace (Heritage Museum), so the Old City feel is preserved even when newer buidlings are built. The city and its bridges and buildings have been renamed many times across history.
We are back on the ship for dinner, pulling out our hotel reservations and contacting our tour company to confirm our ride from the ship to the Marriott tomorrow. This is our last night board ship.
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