Directly on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, there is the favorite suburban palace of Peter the Great - Monplaisir (meaning “my delight" in French). The exterior and interior were defined by the sketches and the schematic drawings of the Tsar himself. Not surprisingly, for this reason Monplaisir vaguely resembles a Dutch Colonial mansion, with its high gabled roof over the central corpus and narrow rectangular windows to keep out the wintry north wind. Monplaisir was completed by 1723, and became Peter's preferred retreat, where he entertained only his closest friends and advisors. Inside you’ll find an intriguing mixture of grandeur and homely comfort, with its pretty Dutch-tiled pantry, where Peter's wife Catherine would herself cook for guests, and the cozy Maritime Study.  If you arrive to Peterhof by boat, Monplaisir is one of the first sights to greet you.