For our final day in Russia, I (David was exhausted from our Moscow trip and got some much needed rest) took a short trip to The Versailles of the North - Peterhof. This lux palace served as the summer home home for generations of czars and czarinas and is the only Palace in Europe to actually sit on the ocean. Peter the Great, obsessed by anything European, was inspired by Versailles and may have actually upstaged it. We're talking gold, crystal, wood inlay, gardens and fountains. Perhaps the most impressive feat is the fountain system that is powered by gravity fed holding pools that use no pumps. They still run every day in the summer (did I mention it gets a tad cold in the winter) at 11:00 am.
However, even this opulent lifestyle had it's drawbacks (not to mention the masses deciding to end their lives a little early) which actually made my skin crawl. You see, all the heavy curtains and bedding served as a perfect home for.....FLEAS!!! That's right, the flea bomb hadn't been invented, so brushes with sticky paper helped the women rid themselves of the little pests. Yuck.
For our last look at Russia, we toured the places used everyday by the people- subways, malls, food markets - all not so different from what we have at home. Gone are the shortages and food lines the Soviets were known for, replaced by indoor malls with H&M's and grocery store chains. At the food market, some of the booth vendors offered samples of their wares and I took them up on their offer. I liked it all except for a little red berry that the vendor was either telling me would calm my stomach or make me violently ill. Without a full explanation I popped it in my mouth and boy was it sour!
Our last stop was at a restaurant for a homemade vodka tasting. The three flavors for today were berry, horseradish and garlic. They were fine, but I thought it was a little early to get blitzed and opted to just take a few sips. Some friends at another table didn't have these same reservations, slamming down shot after shot, building a glass pyramid with the empties. When it all came crashing down, the manager just walked away with his head in his hands. I guess the Russians can handle their liquor a little better than the Americans.
Our final analysis of Russia: lovely country with lovely citizens (although they still aren't big smilers) and beautiful places to visit. It should definitely be added to any travel bucket list.
However, even this opulent lifestyle had it's drawbacks (not to mention the masses deciding to end their lives a little early) which actually made my skin crawl. You see, all the heavy curtains and bedding served as a perfect home for.....FLEAS!!! That's right, the flea bomb hadn't been invented, so brushes with sticky paper helped the women rid themselves of the little pests. Yuck.
For our last look at Russia, we toured the places used everyday by the people- subways, malls, food markets - all not so different from what we have at home. Gone are the shortages and food lines the Soviets were known for, replaced by indoor malls with H&M's and grocery store chains. At the food market, some of the booth vendors offered samples of their wares and I took them up on their offer. I liked it all except for a little red berry that the vendor was either telling me would calm my stomach or make me violently ill. Without a full explanation I popped it in my mouth and boy was it sour!
Our last stop was at a restaurant for a homemade vodka tasting. The three flavors for today were berry, horseradish and garlic. They were fine, but I thought it was a little early to get blitzed and opted to just take a few sips. Some friends at another table didn't have these same reservations, slamming down shot after shot, building a glass pyramid with the empties. When it all came crashing down, the manager just walked away with his head in his hands. I guess the Russians can handle their liquor a little better than the Americans.
Our final analysis of Russia: lovely country with lovely citizens (although they still aren't big smilers) and beautiful places to visit. It should definitely be added to any travel bucket list.
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