Church on the Spilled Blood, Peterhof and Shopping!

We checked the weather and it looks like rain is likely tomorrow. So we decided to do the outside things today. We have had the most wonderful weather on this trip. I can't believe the difference from 2010. The cooler temps are so much nicer. :)

After a quick breakfast we headed to the Church on the Spilled Blood....It's my favorite church on the inside. I hoped I had not built it up too much to Haley, but luckily she was just as impressed as I was the first time I visited it. The church was built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated. His son built this as a memorial to his father.

Haley in front of the church just before we went inside.

It is similar to St. Basil's but the colors are more muted. The detailed tile work in the architecture surpasses St. Basil's.

Inside the walls are decorated with mosaic tiles only. What looks like paintings from a distance is really tile work. The mosaics tell the stories of Jesus's life from conception to many of His miracles. You do not sit in Russian Orthodox Churches; so there are no chairs or pews. You stand for the entire service.

Haley loved the church!

We quizzed each other on the stories from the mosaics.

It made you a bit dizzy after looking up so long.

The icon stand was very beautiful.

We shopped along the canal at the little kiosks. Haley bought two oil paintings, a replica of her favorite Faberge Egg that she had seen at the Kremlin and a hand-painted clock. She was a very happy shopper. Oh yes and later, she bought a new pair of euro jeans at a really posh department store. She loves all her new treasures!

Tim is so patient. We appreciate and love him!!!!

We had lunch at Jamie Oliver's (a British chef and restauranteur that Grayson recommended) restaurant in St. Petersburg. We ordered lots of little things to try. It was all very delicious.

After lunch, we dropped our purchased treasures off at our hotel and headed off to the hydrofoils that take you to Peterhof. Peterhof was the summer palace built by Peter the Great. It was begun in 1714 after the Great Northern War and fully restored in 2003. The Grand Palace is very much like Versailles, but the gardens far surpass the grounds of Versailles...at least in my opinion. The most famous fountain is the Sampson Fountain. The hydrofoil takes about 30 minutes to cross the Gulf of Finland.

A view of Peter and Paul Fortress from the sea.

A replica of an old ship. It is now a restaurant.

The hydrofoils move fast, but are really smooth.

The hydrofoil as it goes under a bridge. It was a tight fit.

A view of the Gulf of Finland.

Haley and Tim grabbed the best seats.

The hydrofoil drops you at the pier and you have to walk up the canal. It affords you great views of the palace and fountains.

A view from the palace down the canal to the pier.

Love them!!!

The next pictures are of the palace and mostly the gardens. They are French in design and like I said, probably my favorite gardens of any place I have ever been. The natural forest with a stream, the sea, the formal gardens with flowers, sculpted trees, 150 fountains, greenhouses, 4 cascading waterfalls, and aviaries are all so lovely. The gardens are 22 kilometers = 13.4 miles. You really can't see it all in one day, but Haley got to see the highlights.

This is the most famous fountain. It shows Sampson breaking the jaws of a lion.

Haley is laughing because this very cute little boy is chasing a pigeon and every time he catches up to the bird and reaches down to grab it, the bird hops away....and the cycle begins again. Kids are the same everywhere.

The aviaries with all kinds of indigenous birds as well as exotic ones.

There are many little "hermitages" where the nobles could get away for peace and quiet. Today many are used as restaurants, bathrooms, music venues, etc.

Tim takes very good care of his family. We really enjoyed this excursion!

Haley took a nap but Tim and I went for an evening walk to Anichkov Bridge along the canals. For a light dinner we popped into "GooseGoose" which is a bistro that we found on our trip with Grayson. Afterwards we stopped by the patisserie and picked up a few treats to share with Haley. Luckily she was awake when we got back to the hotel.  Tomorrow we tour the winter palace (Hermitage) and visit St. Isaac's Cathedral. Goodnight. :)

The Kazan Church as the sun set during our walk tonight.

Our appetizer: beets, goat cheese and pine nuts....it was so delicious!!!