NORTHERN COUNTRY TOUR - PETERSHOF

Of course we also visited the Peterhof Palace. We went there with our bus. We had already our tickets and a Russian guide named Tatjana. She showed us a little around and then we were free to discover the domain of our own.

Peterhof Palace was built in 1703 by Peter the Great (which means Peter’s court in German). Around that time, from 1700 till 1721, Russia was at war with Sweden, and a decisive battle in Ukraine in 1709 became the turning point of the whole war. The Tsar wanted to celebrate this victory so he dedicated Peterhof to the victory over Karl XII. He got the inspiration for the palace design during a trip to France where he saw Versailles.

I have seen Versailles, there probably is a resemblance but inside the palaces, because outside it was completely different ! Far more rich !  The grand difference was the fountain complex, and the park, which are enormous and on a much larger scale, with gilded figures and several springs of sparkling water. A marvellous creation ! I would say unique !

First I show you the Palaces



I didn't know that the cash point means "Kacca" in Russian !













There is nothing to say ! It has been beautifully restored after the Soviet period.






The gardens with the golden statues are impressive



Running water flows down



A fountain game. It is said that one tsar had a doubtful humor, he let his guests dance on a tiled floor and when they stepped on a special tile, the fountains went off an the poor guest became completely wet, which made everybody laugh except probably the person in question.




Flowers everywhere. An army of gardeners takes care of the whole property





Again fountains





An overview until the Neva river



Greek and Roman goodess



I had never seen so many gold in my whole life. If you see this fabulous wealth on one side and the starving people on the other, it's understandable that a revolution was not avoidable.

We spent a few hours walking around before we took the Hydrofoil back to St. Petersburg along the Neva and the Gulf of Finland.

Unfortunately when I stepped out of the boat, a "kind" man helped me, although there was nothing to help I wondered. When I wanted to take out my camera which were in my purse, closed with a zip, it was gone. This helpful man was a pick pocket and a very clever one. We had been warned and I had been careful, but apparently not careful enough.


A very comfortable and quick way to travel !

Fortunately I had taken photos with my smartphone ! Otherwise I wouldn't have any photo of this special place. And I had a spare camera at the hotel. My journey was saved !

.../... to be continued Hermitage

NORTHERN COUNTRY TOUR - HELSINKI

We arrived late morning in Helsinki and visited the Orthodox church of Helsinki,  a beautiful building





It dates from 1868 and is located in the Katajanokka district of Helsinki, the Uspenski Cathedral is the largest orthodox church in Western Europe. With its golden cupolas and redbrick facade, the church is one of the clearest symbols of the Russian impact on Finnish history.




Just besides was a playground for children.


Helsinki is the capital  of Finland and is only 390 km (240 mi) far from Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Together with the cities of Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen, and surrounding commuter towns, Helsinki forms the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area, which has a population of over 1.4 million and is the northernmost capital of an EU member state.

Around Helsinki there are about 330 islands, providing a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. Many families own a little island or they share one with other families and escape the city during weekends and holidays.

Our bus drove us into the center of Helsinki and we had half a day for ourselves to discover the city.



It was full of funny decoration figurines and a stuffed reindeer ! It looked a bit shabby, too many hands had petted it !




I had never seen a museum with a seagull's head as decoration !



We walked around the city, saw elegant cafés, (with elegant prices too ) and impressive Art Nouveau architecture.



This turtle statue sat on the street and there were a few others



We saw a bride and locks hanging on the bridge banister, which amorous people had hung there.

Then we arrived at the market which was very huge and had yellow and white tents. There was an enormous choice of all kind of things in the stands that sell items including fish freshly caught from the harbour, fruits and vegetables, coffee, and local arts and crafts. You can find anything from moose meat to reindeer skin gloves. It is a good place to find Finland-specific souvenirs and support local merchants and artists.

The Market Square is located on the eastern side of central Helsinki, between the south harbour and Esplanade Park. Surrounding the square are the harbour itself, ferry ports connecting the mainland to Suomenlinna, the Presidential Palace, the Uspenski Cathedral, and a market hall.




And there you also could eat for real cheap prices, and you got a huge plate with vegetable, potatoes and meat or fish. I tried reindeer steak for the first time of my life ! Poor Rudolf. It tasted very good and I could eat it again. It was so much fun to sit there observe the people and enjoy the excellent meal. We look so yellow because we sat under a yellow tent, which was the sign for food stands.

As it was very hot, close to 30°C  we decided not to stay in the city, too much to walk in this heat and we took a sightseeing boat which made a tour around islands



We left the market






and lined up to buy the sightseeing boat tickets. The captain was also the guide and explained what we saw







The skyline of Helsinki








different small to bigger islands with one or more houses on them.

We enjoyed the sightseeing very much and on the boat it was not so hot and the heat bearable.

At 6 pm we joined our group and the bus and drove to our hotel



Some private houses to see on the way and then we arrived at our hotel




Again it was a very nice one as we had during the whole trip. After supper we were tired and went early to bed.

Next day we had to leave for St. Petersburg.





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