Day 10 – From Catherine’s Palace to a Gala at Peterhoff

Our day began with a ride to the suburb of Tsar’s Village to visit Catherine’s Palace and the Amber Room. This palace was almost destroyed during the Nazi occupation if WWII, but has been under renovation since 1944. Catherine’s Palace currently houses collections of paintings of Western European artists. The Amber Room was just that—a room which was “wall-papered” with mosaic panels of amber. In the afternoon, we had about an hour to visit the flea market in St Petersburg right beside the Church of Spilled Blood with its colorful onion-shaped spires.

Gala at Peterhoff: We all dressed up (as much as travelers can) and were bussed to the banks of the Neva River. We boarded a very comfortable hydrofoil that jetted our group across the Gulf of Finland in fine fashion to Petrodvorets (Peter’s Palace). The Palace, also known as Peterhoff, was the summer palace of Peter the Great, an eminent Tsar of Russia, as extravagant as palace at Versailles (France). Long rectangular reflecting ponds accommodated the string of fountains that enhanced the walkway that led to the palace. The fountains are not normally activated for the public—only by special request. We watched as the grand streams of water added to the ambience of the walkway. Our group was ushered to the terrace for a champagne toast, while the general public, restricted from our reception, must have wondered who we were and where we were from. We enjoyed a special late opening after the palace was closed to the public, as our tour guides pointed out particulars of the palace. All of our small tour groups gathered as the doors of the Golden Ball Room opened to reveal the spectacular gala dinner setting, just for us. As we entered the room, the string quartet dressed in the fashion that reminded me of colonial days in America complete with powder-white wigs, played music appropriate for a royal dinner party. The courtly wait staff were decked out in their white/gold colonial costumes which matched the décor of the room—tall wall palace walls decorated in gold leaf. I felt like a Queen, and Don a King, as we were seated at our table. Entertainment also included a performance by a noted Russian Opera soprano who sang two songs for our dinner pleasure. Her voice was so outstanding, I noticed that no one was eating during her performance. We had a meal beyond my expectations. Our printed dinner menu will remain an icon in our travel journal notebook. I had to ask Don to wake me up, as I felt as if I was dreaming. Our gala dinner in the Golden Ball Room at Peterhoff was definitely fit for a King/Queen.