Where I would rather be today: The Peterhof in St. Petersburg, Russia - - Part 2

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Vivian and I visited the Peterhof in 2003 and it remains one of the greatest, and most unexpected, man-made places we have visited in our extensive travels. Like Versailles, it is overwhelming to the eye.

From Wikipedia

The Peterhof Palace (Russian: Петерго́ф, Petergof, originally named Peterhof, Dutch or German for "Peter's Court") is actually a series of palaces and gardens located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These Palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the "Russian Versailles". The palace-ensemble along with the city centre is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Peterhof -- the Samson Fountain and Sea Channel:
The dominant natural feature of Peterhof is a sixteen-metre-high bluff lying less than a hundred meters from the shore. The so-called Lower Gardens (Nizhny Sad), at 1.02 km comprising the better part of Peterhof's land area, are confined between this bluff and the shore, stretching east and west for roughly 200 metres. The majority of Peterhof's fountains are contained here, as are several small palaces and outbuildings. East of the Lower Gardens lies the Alexandria Park with 19th-century Gothic Revival structures such as the Kapella.

Atop the bluff, near the middle of the Lower Gardens, stands the Grand Palace (Bolshoi Dvorets). Behind (south) of it are the comparatively small Upper Gardens (Verhnyy Sad). Upon the bluff's face below the Palace is the Grand Cascade (Bolshoi Kaskad). This and the Grand Palace are the centrepiece of the entire complex. At its foot begins the Sea Channel (Morskoi Kanal), one of the most extensive waterworks of the Baroque period, which bisects the Lower Gardens.
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For more information, Google "Peterhof".

Pictures taken in 2003 by Frank Barning.