Another unbelievably beautiful day! And the weather was very mild. Even the tour guide exclaimed about the rare wonderful weather we were enjoying! Our destination was the Peterhof, commonly referred to as the Russian Versailles. Having visited Versailles, France, we were excited about seeing this collection of palaces, fountains and gardens to see if there might be a real comparison. The town is about 22 miles outside St. Petersburg so we got to travel on the multilane "speedway" out of the city. For miles out of the main city, we passed congregations here, there, everywhere of tall apartment buildings and very sparse retail. As the journey left the speedway for smaller country roads, we got a glimpse at suburbs and countryside out of the city.

During the bus ride, we asked the guide about her life in Russia. She said education is free and public schools here are much better than private schools because they follow strict educational guidelines. University can be free too but only if students pass the qualifying exams. The most prestigious studies are medical and teaching but both these professions are low paid. We were discussing some of this information with others on our cruise and they added they learned that people with high paying jobs and nice houses are usually members of the party. Our guide, Valarie, was a very intelligent young lady who had mastered the English language and history of her country. She was also pretty good at herding cats. We had several family groups who simply refused to listen to her instructions and frequently got lost or left behind. (I would not be a tour guide for any amount of money!!!) She was poised and consistently maintained her professional composure. Meanwhile, if I were her, I'd be saying something like, "if I have to look for you one more time, you will be left behind and if you talk once more while I am talking I will personally kick your butt!"

Other tidbits about life in St. Petersburg: Most people do live in apartments; some have private houses but houses exist for the most part only in the suburbs which require an almost impossible commute into the city for work. Some people have apartments in the city and houses in the country. Most country houses, however, are used only on holidays or summer. A typical 1 bedroom apartment of 40 square meters cost $250 USD per month. If the apartment is in the city, the cost can rise to $500 per month. Utilities will cost an additional $50. Sounds pretty inexpensive, right? Average salary is $600 per month. A person must spend about $50,000 to buy an apartment but if a mortgage is needed, the interest rate is 13%-15%.

Medical care is free but a person can wait weeks to get an appointment. Hospital care is not included. That requires supplemental medical insurance which can be provided as an employee benefit from working for big, important companies. Dental care is not included in any government program or insurance.

Primary exports are oil, natural gas and grain products.

This was a highly unusual and warm summer. Typically, the weather here is horrendous! Usually August in St. Petersburg, the weather is cold, windy and rainy. People here carry a raincoat and umbrella every day.

Odd things we noted: the city and nearby countryside is almost pristine clean. It could be the cleanest city I have ever seen. There are lots of apple and pear trees.

Ok, Peterhof Palace - which means Peter's court, was unbelievable! Peterhof was the summer residence of Peter the Great and it dates back to 1703. It sits on 300 acres on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. The grounds look as if they were trimmed with precision scissors. The flowers all have freshly bloomed this morning! The grass is electric green and stands straight like needles exactly perpendicular to the earth.

There are over 150 fountains on the grounds and unlike those at Versailles; they operate every day during warm-weather seasons. During winter the fountains are closed off and the hundreds of marble statues selected and purchased by Petr the Great, are covered in wooden boxes to protect them from the severe winters.

The fountains are a study within themselves. Natural springs were found nearby. Water from those springs is piped from the springs to Peterhof, first through large pipes then graduating to smaller and smaller pipes with gravity creating a powerful force that cause all 150 fountains on the grounds to spew lavishly. Shocking! There are no pumps at all! The fountains worked via gravity back in the 1700's and it works today.

We were herded like fast-moving livestock through The Grand Palace. Like almost every palace we've ever visited it was in fact, grand, gilded with gold and fantastic carved wood work and very ostentatious! Decadent! The floors were parquet. We had to wear covers for our shoes. The kids of one of the families who just would not listen to instructions got called down by one of the palace matrons who prodded us along. With slick covers on their shoes, the kids were skating on the parquet floors, chasing each other, laughing, and causing a ruckus. I have to admit two things: One, I was happy to see that family called out. They needed it! Two, I was highly tempted to skate on those floors myself!

Some of what we saw was original and authentic. Most of what we saw in the way of wall coverings, upholsteries, window draperies and furniture were reproductions or restorations. The Grand Palace stood for two hundred years and then the Nazi's commandeered the palace and used it as a warehouse, home for troops, and store for ammunitions. The people of St. Petersburg knew Nazi's were coming. They gathered and hid as much of the riches of Peterhof as possible . . . china, crystal, paintings, and small pieces of furniture. They moved the marble statues selected and purchased by Peter the Great and buried them 6 meters deep in the earth. The Nazis did come. They destroyed almost everything possible. By the time they left, they had mined the building blowing off the entire roof line and cracking almost every wall of not only the Grand Place but all the minor building as well. They cut down every tree that decorated the grounds.

Once the war ended, restoration efforts began in 1945 and continue this day. The workers who painstakingly studied history and worked to put thing back in place exactly as they had once been, were not paid well. It was a labor of love. They did a stupendous job.

If one must choose . . see Versailles or see Peterhof? Choose Peterhof. It is pure class.