View of St. Petersburg
Another view of St. Petersburg
And still another view of St. Petersburg...
Our first stop was to St. Nicholas' Church, also known as the Sailor's Cathedral locally. The area where the church is was originally settled by sailors during the time of Peter the Great. A wooden chapel was first built for them and named St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker.
The wooden church was replaced by a stone church in 1753. The interior walls are decorated with scenes from the history of the Russian navy. It also houses ten 18th century icons given to the church by Catherine the Great.
St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral
Bell Tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral
Our next stop was the Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum.
We then had lunch at a local restaurant. The menu was borscht and beef stroganoff.
After lunch we went to Peterhof Palace, the Russian Versailles. This was the official summer residence of the Russian Tsars.
After the interior tour, we walked through the Lower Park with its 150 fountains, cascades and pavilions.
The Grand Cascade is modeled after the one built by Louis XIV at the Chateau de Marly.
Above you can see the Sea Channel (Morskoi Kanal), which bisects the Lower Gardens. The Sea Channel is one of the most extensive waterworks from the Baroque period.
Other photos taken on the grounds of Peterhof Palace:
We then returned to the ship for dinner. Then afterwards we went back into St. Petersburg to watch a Cossack Dancers show.
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