July 8 - Peterhof (Petrodvorets)

Another beautiful sunny summer morning as we walked to meet our guide and car for an hours drive west of the city to Peter the Great's Summer Palace. Built on a swamp the yellow and white Baroque-style palace is set on the Gulf of Finland. Peter designed the estate after visiting Versailles in France. Covering 60 hectares the gardens and fountains and palaces sprawled from a hillside down to the sea. Dozens of fountains work by gravity from a common water source in the hills. We watched the opening ceremony for turning on the fountains, then toured the palace before strolling the grounds with Anna, our guide. You can't imagine the opulence of the rooms. Gilted woodwork, chandeliers, parquet floors, silk wallpaper... To think people actually lived here is astonishing. On our return trip Anna pointed out the hard-fought frontlines of the Second World War between the Russians and the Nazis less than 10 miles from the city. This evening we finally met the members of our climbing team. We ate dinner together at our hotel, and chatted with everyone. It's a large group, 11 climbers and 3 guides, but everyone seems friendly and excited to be here.