By: Marcia Abramson
Since I almost missed Peter the Great's Palace, I had to take the shore tour to Peterhof, which means Peter's Court. It was built 300 years ago and was one of the great imperial residences to be built 22 miles outside of St. Petersburg by Peter the Great to celebrate his victory in the Northern War against Sweden. He decided it would be only fitting to build this glorious palace and town along the Gulf of Finland. This followed the construction of the island fortress of Kronstadt, which secured the sea borne approaches to St. Petersburg.
It was originally planned to be the official summer residence of Peter the Great. But over the years many additions were made by his daughter Elizabeth and Catherine the Great. I found this palace to be truly opulent and spectacular and could easily visualize the royal family ascending and descending the ceremonial staircase with their guests.
The upper floor has the impressive Chesma Gallery with paintings of the 1770 Chesma battle, Peter's throne room and an elegantly carved wood paneled study.
My tour of the palace continued with a walk through the huge grounds and magnificent fountains, which were designed by Peter. Just imagine 129 spouting fountains, one more spectacular than the other including the world famous Samson Fountain. These were all restored and their fabulous displays made the walk to the hydrofoil landing an even more memorable experience. The hydrofoil passed through the Marine Canal back to St. Petersburg.
Then on to an early dinner on the Silversea and a wonderful evening of ballet at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. It is the oldest musical institution of higher education in Russia. I understand that Rimsky- Korsakov and Tchaikovsky were some of the famous composers who studied at this institution. There was another grand staircase where I was treated to champagne and great souvenir kiosks. Then to my seat and an excellent evening of ballet. In my opinion there is nothing like the Russian ballet school which keeps alive the old choreographic traditions. I thoroughly enjoyed this evening, as did four busloads of beautifully dressed Silversea passengers.
The Whisper debarked later that evening for Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Talinn is located a mere 53 miles from Helsinki across the Gulf of Finland, between St. Petersburg and Stockholm. Actually, Estonia dates back to the 10th century, but the powerful seafaring Danes took over the country in 1219. Then the German Hanseatic League incorporated Tallinn into their successful mercantile group in 1285 and lasted for many years during medieval times. Tallinn became a target for occupation by many countries because of its strategic location over the centuries. This gave the Estonians a unique cultural mix and the ambiance of many European cities in my opinion. This became apparent to me as I strolled along the cobble stoned narrow pedestrian streets with 13th and 14th century medieval buildings in the Old Town.
These proud people, along with their Latvian and Lithuanian neighbors, were taken over by the Soviets in 1941, and remained under Soviet rule for 50 years until 1991. The upheaval in the Soviet Union enabled these three countries to become independent countries and finally become free people. I enjoyed joining them at the outdoor cafes for a sip of coffee reminiscent to me of a Mediterranean city.
There are many kiosks in the middle city selling all kinds of woolen hats, some amber jewelry and what seemed like costly footwear to me.
I was happy to see the Silversea's shuttle waiting to take me back to the ship and a festive farewell dinner. I was sad that this exquisite cruise was coming to an end in Stockholm, but I was looking forward to the option of spending two additional nights at the lovely Berns Hotel, the sister hotel to the Grand Hotel in Stockholm.
I also learned from Silversea's Brad Ball that you can also sail on the Silversea from New York City in September and October. The cruise line will be sailing from New York City to Montreal and the Colonial Coast on Sept. 20 for nine days with savings of 50 percent and from NYC to Nassau on Oct. 16 with these same savings. You can contact your travel agent or visit www.silversea.com.
Next week you can join me in Stockholm, the old city, the changing of the palace guard, and the Jewish Synagogue via my column.
Copyright © by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
