Just another palace...

 I absolutely love weekends in Russia! Every weekend so far, we have gone on an excursion outside of the city either with our program or independently. Last weekend we went to what is now one of my favorite places in the entire world (I keep saying that, don’t I?): Pavlovsk, a small town near St. Petersburg. It holds a palace built by Peter I that is surrounded by the most beautiful park I have ever seen. We took a train to the town and walked through the park to the palace. I was so in love that I took over 700 pictures. Oops. Here are a few that sum up the day.

Here is a quick shot of the magnificent palace.

The scenery was stunning. I didn't want to leave!

Some people rented rowboats and enjoyed the park from the water. 

I also really enjoyed posing with the statues. 

Our next excursion as a group was to Peterhof, yet another palace. As you can probably guess, it was also built by Peter the Great and is often referred to as the "Russian Versailles". Instead of touring the palace as per usual, we toured the grounds. Peterhof is most famous for its fountains; there are over 150 of them! In 1941, Peterhof was captured and used as a military base by German soldiers. Many of the treasures were destroyed, and they attempted to bury and destroy the fountains (thankfully without much success). A good portion of Peterhof was reconstructed after the war, but we were able to see the original brick from the palace!

This is the main fountain of Samson with the palace in the background.

We took a tour under the palace to see how the water was supplied to the fountains. Our guide explained that the water flow is all natural, and no pumps are involved. After that, we were allowed to stand under the main fountain and look out on the park.

Peter the Great also apparently had a sense of humor because he had many "trick" fountains scattered around the park. For example, there is one table at the palace with a basket of fruit. When you reach your hand to grab an apple, guess what happens?

Peter strategically picked the location for the palace, and the view from the grounds is spectacular. From the edge of the park on the Gulf of Finland, one can see the island of Kronstadt to the far left and St. Petersburg to the right. 

I really enjoyed the view and the unusual sunny weather! 

Though I have only been here a month, I have already learned a lot about myself. One of the things I have noticed is how much I enjoy being outside of the city in the fresh air and countryside. It is so refreshing. As much as I adore St. Petersburg and many American cities, it is obvious that I am most definitely a country girl!