Snowfall in Peterhof: along the bay to Peter the Great's house

This is the third and final part of my story about the walk in Peterhof Park during the snowfall. I am not very fast at writing sequels and it has been over a week since I published the first part. So I want to start by saying a few words about where I got to in the previous story. It just so happened that I was walking in the park during a snowfall: in the morning it seemed that the day would be clear, but when I arrived at Peterhof, the sky was covered with clouds and it started snowing. Sometimes it was just occasional snowflakes, but at times the wind and snowfall intensified and I had to hide from the weather in the park pavilions.

From the railway station I walked to the Great Peterhof Palace, then down to the lower park and took a long walk in the gardens of the western part of the park, protected from the wind from the bay by a high dam. I then crossed the bridge over the Sea Canal and walked along the shore of the Gulf of Finland towards Monplaisir Palace. This introduction was necessary in order to be more specific about the purpose of the palace. The Great Peterhof Palace and the Monplaisir Palace were built almost simultaneously, in 1714. Both palaces could be called imperial palaces. So what are the differences?

When tour guides talk about the Grand Peterhof Palace, they use adjectives such as 'majestic', 'magnificent' - this palace was conceived as a place for receptions and celebrations. The Great Peterhof Palace is situated on a natural hill. The palace overlooks the sea - but the bay remains in the distance, and the palace's immediate surroundings are gardens and fountains.

The Monplaisir Palace is built close to the coastline. Emperor Peter the Great loved travelling by water rather than land. Ships, sailing ships and boats were his true passion. The Emperor dreamed of instilling the same passion in his retainers and subjects. No wonder he decided to build a palace, in which he was going to live himself, so that he could arrive there by water. The emperor personally chose the site for the palace and also drew a schematic plan of the building and its internal layout.

I was on my way to Monplaisir when I was faced by a group of three young people. Let me try to explain why they caught my eye. The parks are popular and you'll find others wanting to take a walk in the park in any season, in any weather. You can meet people of all ages: families with children, couples in love, senior citizens and groups of young people, no surprise there. But usually the walkers try to live up to the classic beauty of the parkscape, strolling leisurely, talking softly and all in that vein.

The three young men were just walking down the alley like everyone else, but they were in a very active, joyful, excited mood. It was as if they were radiating waves of energy and youthful excitement. I realised exactly what made them different from the other walkers when I approached the terrace on the shore of the bay. There were three boards with sails left on the ice. These young people had not come to the park by train, bus or car. They glided across the surface of the bay - not on water, but on ice - but still by water, in full accord with the emperor's ideas of proper travel.

The terrace surrounds the palace on the side of the bay and offers beautiful sea views. On clear days you can see Kronstadt, the gilded dome of the Naval Cathedral shining in the sunlight. But during a snowfall you can only see a shroud of snow that hides the boundary between the sky and the ice.

I stood on the terrace for a while, gazing out at the sea view, and decided it was time to turn towards home. I had to walk through the western part of the park. The fountains and sculptures in this part of the park were protected from snow by wooden boxes, and the summer gazebos were closed. But I met the squirrels again. They took their time hiding high up in the trees, and I managed to get almost close enough to take a few photos.

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Smartphone	Google Pixel 3a
Location	Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, Russia

First part of the walk
Second part of the walk