Peterhof
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On arrival in St Petersburg, we were met at the dock by Olga from Denrus Tours. We were having 2 full days with her as our guide and looking forward to that.
We left the dock in a large van and were introduced to our driver who drove us quickly through the city. We were lucky as it was a Sunday morning and to make it even better the sun was out
and the day was very pleasant. Our first destination was to Peterhof and it took about an hour. On the way we got to see the city and environs to get a feel for the place.
Olga gave us lots of detail and sparked our interest in all things for the day. Peterhof is a world famous palace, park and fountains that delight all who see them.
We first toured the palace which was constructed in the early eighteenth century by Emperor Peter the Great. In 1917 the palace, park and fountains were taken by the State and used as an architecture
and art museum. The rooms are awesome, with gold inlays, magnificent paintings and ornate ceilings and much more.
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There are 176 fountains here in the Upper and Lower Garden areas, and all are worked by water pressure with no pumps at all. Four magnificent cascades
are a feature of the gardens and credit must be given to the many architects, craftsmen, artists and others who worked on the historical ensemble over the years.
Part of the magnificence is the gilded statues that are integral to the fountains and much delight as well as history
is shown in these works.
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Another highlight of this wonderful tour was to have lunch at a local pie restaurant. Olga was happy to
organise any meal and we thought that this option would be an experience. Our food on the Marco Polo is so good we really
didn't need a special meal but we were wrong again. It was terrific and something very different - a restaurant that allowed you to choose your own slices of pies and sit in a friendly
and welcoming atmosphere to enjoy. We then drove through the city and had another opportunity to look at places passing by.
The Hermitage was our next stop and we were looking forward to that. We drove past Peter the Great Statue (The Bronze Horseman), commissioned by Catherine the Great and sculpted by Etienne Falconet.
The magnificent statue is one of the most symbolic works on display in St. Petersburg.
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Well, The Hermitage is something else! It is said that the only museum in the world to rival it in size and quality is The Louvre in Paris.
Olga tells us that if you looked at every item in The Hermitage for a few seconds - it would take eight years to see it all.
There are about three million items on display including collections of Italian Renaissance, French Impressionist paintings as well as works by Rembrandt, Picasso and Matisse.
The furnishings of the period are on show in all the rooms and gilt decorations cover wall, staircases and pieces of furniture.
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Next on our tour was St. Issac's Cathedral which sports a gilded dome some 100 mtrs into the air. It is covered with 100kgs of pure gold and
dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg. August Monferrand designed this structure in 1818 for Alexander 1, but it was not complete until 1858.
The interior consists of many kinds of stone and marble along with mosaics, frescoes and other decorations. It certainly is a sight to see
and the sheer size of the building is incredible. After a wonderful visit Olga left us about 5.30 and was looking forward to seeing us the next day.
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