ST PETERSBURG--DAY 2

        Up early as room service showed up promptly at 6:30 am today.  Our tour departs ship at 7:45.  It is another "glorious day" as Ray Solaire, our cruise director, always says.  Sunny and a pleasant 68F so far.  The Crystal Symphony cruise ship is just arriving and Emerald Princess is still here with us.
        Let me describe the procedures for leaving and returning to the ship.  The immigration officers here are very strict.  You can only leave the ship in two ways:  1) you have a Russian visa in your passport, or 2) you are on a ship's tour in which case you have to stay with the tour group all the time.  You do not have to have a visa in the second case.  As we leave the ship, immigration officials thoroughly check our passports and issue us a "landing card" with our name spelled out in Russian on it.  Then when we return they again recheck out passports and take the card back.  You better not lose it!!  If you so you are not allowed back on the ship.  Both of these immigration checks means standing in line and waiting.  We will be doing this again this morning.
        Immigration today was very simple and took very little time.  We boarded our tour bus and headed through the city center on our way to the southern part of St Petersburg, actually outside the city, to see Peter the Great's Grand Palace.  It took us an hour to get there and that was quick because this is Saturday and no traffic problems in the city.
        We spent 3 hours touring the gardens and Grand Palace.  It was very interesting as our guide described everything as we went through the Palace.  We all had to wear foot covers and no photos or filming allowed inside.  Probably just as well as a photo could not capture the intricate beauty and detail of this place.  If you ever come to St Petersburg, we highly recommend that you come see this.
        We got back to the ship at 12:40, just in time for some pasta for lunch.  Besides working on the blog I also managed to do an hour workout.  It is now 4:30 and I have some time to sit out on our balcony and veg out.  So sad as only two more full days on the ship.  Will be packing soon.  Tomorrow we are also here in St Petersburg and Monday will will be in Tallinn, Estonia.  Tuesday we arrive in Stockholm, Sweden, where we will leave the ship and to the Stockholm Hilton for two days.  Still sunny this afternoon and temperature is 75 degrees.

 Apartments at dusk taken from ship.  Further around to left you can see the construction of a huge stadium in the distance.  This will be where the 2018 World Cup will be.

                                                The new cruise port area is only 6 years old.

                                                             Sunset sequence

                                            Sun glistening of the Emerald Princess

       

Did not see the "green flash".  We have seen it once when on our 2010 World Cruise.  If atmospheric conditions are just right, you may see a quick green flash just after the sun disappears.

                                                               Our tour today

                                              Hotel close to the new cruise terminals

It was an hour drive through city again to get to the Palace.

                       This old draw bridge dates back to 1786 and spans the Fountain River.

                                                   Most building are drab color.

                                 This is about as colorful as apartments get.  These are fairly new.

They still use old electric trams and buses for city transportation.

                                                 Newer shopping mall in suburb

        This is called "China Town" and new are developed by Russian and China joint venture.

Out of town we see the first houses

Constantaine Palace.   There used to be 80 palaces in St Petersburg before the war but now only 40 remain.

 Front gate to Peter the Great's Grand Palace.  We go to the side of it for bus parking.  There are probably 25 buses here.  Lots of tourists!

Pererhof Palace is a complex of palaces and gardens and is sometimes referred to as the "Russian Versailles".

         During the summer 90 gardeners work here and 45 during winter.  This is the upper gardens.

                                             

 Our guide, Lana, by the entrance to the Palace.  We have to cover our shoes with paper slippers, and unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside.  I can tell you this.  IT IS AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL. A definite "must see".  We walked though probably 25 room of the palace.  The rooms were not very big but decorated with things of that period.  There were many chandeliers that were incredible and all were protected during WWII.  There was also many French clocks throughout that are original and a clock man comes once a week to wind all of them.  In each room there was at least one Russian woman watch to see that no one touched anything, even a wall, and to make sure no photos were being taken.  They also made sure the tour groups and others people kept moving.  Kind of like a marshal on a golf course.  It worked very well too.  We saw paintings, furniture, clocks, table settings, crystal glasses, and busts of certain people. Each room had a name and purpose.  It was built during early 1700's.  A lot of it was destroyed during WWII but later restored.  

 I call this the back side but could have been front side as it was the most scenic and beautiful.  The Grand Palace was over 1000 feet long with two domed buildings at each end.  You can barely see one on right.

 This is view from upper balcony looking out over the lower gardens.  You can see the sea in background at other end of the canal.  You will see the fountains in action later.

In the trees are more gardens with more smaller fountains.  The whole garden is nearly one square mile.

                                                                So beautiful

Now down on lower garden level looking back up at Palace.

Domed building at other end of the Palace

                                                  One of the many fountains throughout.

There are two fountains like this but could not get both in same photo.

                             Called the "Checkers Fountain".  Water flows down this from top.

                                                                 Other fountain.

Horn band setting up but we did not have time to stay and listen.

 On a bridge over the canal looking back towards the Palace because at 11:00 am the fountains come alive.

                            At 11 am music is played of speakers and the fountains start to flow.

Back up on the upper level.

 They have huge down spouts from roofs