Way back in 1984, dear old Doctor Litvin told us in one of his Russian history lectures all about Peterhof, the "Russian Versailles." He told us about its opulence and showed us pictures of its beautiful fountains. I was intrigued, but also saddened by the knowledge that I would never have the chance to go there.

But times change, don't they? Here I am on the boat to Peterhof!

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This is the boat we came on from Saint Petersburg. It's a hydrofoil that lifts up out of the water as it gains speed. The trip took about 30 minutes.

You can orient yourself through the pictures below by looking at the Peterhof map.

Budgetary cutbacks have really had an impact on the Central Band of the Russian Baltic Fleet.

Seriously, it's simply some saps in sailor suits serenading sightseers.

Peter the Great established a small residence on this location in 1705 to oversee the building of a naval base at nearby Kronshtadt. He named the area Petergof (Peterhof—German for "Peter's Court").

During WWI, when German influences were removed from a lot of Russian place names (Saint Petersburg became Petrograd, for example), this name was russified to Petrodvorets.

Today, the town is still known as Petrodvorets. The palace is still referred to by either Petrodvorets or Peterhof. I prefer Peterhof because Petrodvorets is just too hard to say!

The Grand Palace has been almost completely restored based on photographs and the original drawings. Fortunately, the spectacular fountains survived the bombing.

The Grand Cascade features over 140 fountains, partially engineered by Peter the Great himself.

The centerpiece of the Grand Cascade shows Samson tearing open a lion's jaw, symbolizing Peter's victory over the Swedes.

A larger version of this picture is available in the wallpaper gallery.

Looking up toward the church wing of the Grand Palace.

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