CONNIE’S JOURNAL – RUSSIA 2005
Fri. Aug 19 Left home 5:15 am for 8:20 flight from OAK to DFW and overnight to Frankfurt on American Airlines.
Sat 20 Used the Ambassadors’ Lounge for 5 hour wait to transfer to Lufthansa flight to St. Petersburg. Arrived 6:30 pm and were met by bus from Peter the Great Cruises to take us to the M/S Zosima Shashkov at the Riverport terminal on the Neva River. After time to unpack we joined those who had arrived already for a welcome aboard dinner. We are now 10 time zones from home, and by the end of the trip it will be 11! After and orientation talk we were ready to tuck in to our tiny beds.
Sun 21 Every morning there is a hearty European style buffet breakfast with lots of choices, plenty of fresh fruits, and always a jug of vodka and tiny glasses for those who wish to “improve their digestion” this way!
At 9 am we were off in buses for the morning City Tour. Local guide Olga. Each group of about 35 had a local guide as well as one of the ship’s young and attractive guide/translators, always dressed in red so we could spot them if ever need be. Everyone’s English was excellent. We stopped first on Vasilevsky Island for a good view of the river and a bit of history. There was (of course) a gift shop across the street where we were able to use the toilets, taste vodka and caviar (for sale). We had a little free time there so Ken and I walked a block to look at the beautiful St. Nicholas Cathedral (blue with gold domes.)
Drove along Nevsky Prospect, the main street in central St. P, and passed many beautifully restored palaces and public buildings. Our major stop was at the Hermitage where we toured the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, saw the Theatre on the outside, and then went in to the New Hermitage. Of course we were overwhelmed by the lovely palace interior rooms with all their gilt and ornate frescoes and mosaics and we had kind of a whirlwind tour of a few of the art galleries (with mobs of people!) Got a look at a couple of da Vinci madonnas, 2 Raphaels, a beautiful Michelangelo sculpture “Crouching Youth”, some Caravaggios, Van Dycks, and Rubens. Just the highlights. Then quickly to the 3rd floor for a run-through of the Impressionists. Not really satisfying for an art lover, but at least we could say we were there. I was disappointed at how poorly the paintings were displayed in many of the areas. Daylight through windows reflecting on glass in front of the pictures made them difficult to appreciate—and all those crowds of people!
St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1705, so this year they are celebrating their 300th anniversary. The morning was bright and sunny but clouded up quickly in the afternoon. We are so close to the Baltic that weather changes rapidly. 60 days of sun per year. We were all given box lunches and got on Canal boats for a ride along the rivers and canals of central St. P. This has sometimes been referred to as the Venice of the North. The city is an engineering marvel, built originally on unusable swamp land, and, like Venice, is slowly sinking a little. The views from the open canal boats were impressive as we passed by many historic cathedrals, palaces, under a number of artistic bridges (some 17th century) and got a good look at this part of the city from the water. Our route took us along the Moika and Fotanka rivers and through the Kuryokov connecting canal.
It started to rain just as we got off the boat and headed to our bus. They say the weather here is 9 months of expectation and 3 months of disappointment! It was warm and mild however. Stopped to see the exterior of St. Isaak’s Cathedral with its landmark gold domes and also walked to enjoy the exterior of the fairy tale-looking Church of the Resurrection or Savior on the Spilt Blood with all its brightly colored domes. It was destroyed in WW II and renovated and reopened in 1997 as a memorial to Alexander II.
We didn’t get back to the ship until 5 and I had to run across the avenue to the exchange office to get some rubles (28.4 to the $). Then ate a quick dinner and change clothes as our bus left at 6:15 to take us back to the city center to the Mussorgsky Theatre (originally called the Mikhailovsky Theatre) to see the ballet production of Swan Lake. We did this as an optional tour and it was well worth it. The Mariinsky Theatre is closed for renovation, but this one was gorgeous. This was the Moscow State Ballet Company.
Got back to the ship at 11!
Mon 22 Woke at 6. Cloudy. Rain predicted, temp 60.
8:30 Bus to Peterhof, 30 Km. from St. P, on the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. Local guide Julia. We didn’t arrive until 9:45. This was Peter the Great’s summer residence. The Grand Palace was destroyed by the Germans in WW II but the Russians immediately restored it after the war so that the details would not be forgotten. The grounds contain 150 fountains, but no pumps. They are all produced by gravity feed (the principle of connected vessels) from springs in the hills nearby and flow from spring until October when the freeze comes. They all drain directly into the Gulf of Finland.
After a tour of the interior of the Grand Palace we spent almost an hour walking through the grounds and beautifully landscaped gardens. There was a celebration going on for the anniversary day of the Russian flag so there were parades of costumed people, balloons, flags, etc. We stood right on the Gulf of Finland, looking out over the water, and of course took lots of pictures.
We collected our box lunches from the bus to eat at a table in the souvenir shop area just outside the grounds because our bus group was taking the optional tour in the afternoon to the Peter and Paul Fortress on Zayachiy Island. In the cathedral here are the tombs of many Emperors and also of Nicholas II and his family, murdered in 1918. Their remains were finally found and identified in 1997, consecrated and reburied here in ’98. He was canonized in 2000 with his whole family.
Returning to the ship after 4:00 took a whole hour in commute traffic and again we needed to eat a hurried dinner in order to leave on another optional tour we had chosen. Left on a bus at 6:30 to go back in to town to the Carnaval Concert Hall in the theatre of the Anichkov Palace to see the State Volga Russian Folk Choir’s 8:00 performance. “Choir” does not really describe them as there was constant choreographed movement and color, gorgeous costumes, beautiful voices, a balalaika soloist, Cossack dancers. At intermission our group was served vodka, fruit juice, and pastries with red caviar or fish paste. Almost 11:00 again by the time we got back.
Tue 23 at 8:45 we were on the bus and on our way to the village of Pushkin. Local guide Vadim. Outside Catherine’s Palace we had to wait almost an hour which surprised our guide because they had brought us here on a day when it is not open to the general public and we had a reservation. However there were 1200 people here from a large cruise ship. Here we visited Catherine’s Summer Palace, also restored after WW II. We saw 30 of the 55 rooms, including the amber room, paneled completely in pieces of amber inlaid like mosaics over all the walls, even framing pictures. The original amber panels were a gift to Peter the Great from Frederick of Germany, hand carried all the way to St. P by soldiers so as not to be broken. However, in WW II the Nazis took it all apart and hid the amber. It was still missing after the war and it is speculated that if it was buried in a cave or bombed bunker that the amber would by now be deteriorated and lost due to dampness. In the 1980’s the room was reconstructed with amber extracted from Lithuania. 6 tons were bought but only the best 900 kg were used. The room reopened in 2003 at a cost of 11 million dollars.
The area is called Tsarsky Selo or Tsar’s Village. Elizabeth, the daughter of Catherine, was quite eccentric. She spent her summers here and had a “secret husband”.
As we left at noon I bought a light wool flowered shawl from one of the vendors outside for $20. Our bus driver was very good and got us back in time for lunch on the ship at 1:30. One complementary glass of wine is served with each lunch and dinner. The white (“chardonnay”) was not drinkable but the red was passable. Each lunch and dinner starts with a very nice and varied salad, a delicious soup, and a hot main dish, often with more vegetables. Desserts were often cake and ice cream or sometimes fresh fruit at lunch. We were very impressed with the quality of the food and always were unable to eat it all.
We decided not to take the afternoon optional tour to either the interior of the Church of Spilled Blood or the Yusupov Palace where Rasputin was murdered. Instead we walked across the avenue to a 24-hour grocery store to see what was there and to buy an ice cream. Used the Internet next door (15 minutes for $.50) and took a nap.
Again we had an early dinner (5:30) in order to go to the optional show tonight at 7. It was a Cossack Show in the Hotel Pulkovskaya and again we were not back until 11.
Wed 24 Enjoyed watching the sunrise across the river. Beautiful view from the window of our cabin. Off on the bus at 9 with local guide Tatianya . Visited Alexander Nevsky Lavra (monastery) and Necropolis (cemetery) and the Trinity Cathedral, founded in 1713. A Lavra is the highest rank of monastery in Russia. Only 10-15 monks live here now. Alexander Nevsky became a Russian saint. Visited the graves of Dostoievsky, musicians Glinka, Rimsky Korsakov, Mussourgski, Borodin, Tchaikovski and Rubenstein. Also a section of many 19th and 20th century actors and actresses, and artists—Kuinski, Borindi, Kloat.
In the Trinity Cathedral and service was in progress. Congregation stands the whole 2+ hours. No music. Just priests chanting. People kissing certain icons around the area. “We are not looking at the icon; the icon is looking at you.” Some of our group bought the bread made there by the monks.
As soon as we got to lunch the ship was repositioned to a different pier. After lunch I chose to go on the optional tour to the Russian Museum of Art; some went on the drive to the Pavlovsk Estate (long drive), and Ken chose to stay on board and nap. The galleries here were well displayed. The guide gave good explanation of the history of icons, the first persona portraits made in the time of Peter the Great, many mosaic portraits up to the 18th C. There was a beautiful marble sculpture of Catherine the Great (she was a huge woman!), and we had some time to spend looking at the Romantic school, 19th C works, up to the realists. I was enthralled by a seascape called “The Wave” and the famous “Last Day of Pompeii” by Bruilov. We bypassed the impressionists in order to have time to visit the special exhibit of Chagall in another wing of the building. There must have been over 100 of his works, arranged chronologically, which was interesting.
As I exited the back door to head to the bus I found myself on the canal in front of the Spilled Blood church again. This time it was beautifully sunny, so I got another picture.
Some comments by the guide on the way back:
It is said that “St. P is in Russia but it is not a Russian city.” It is more western. The citizens are very proud and look down on Moscow. Moscow was partly destroyed, not by WW II but by the Communists. They tore down many churches and beautiful buildings and replaced them with Stalin-type architecture. It is only a business city, with impossible traffic jams (as we were to experience later next week.) In St. P you can feel its spirit.
At 7 pm the ship sailed with a ceremony, the playing of the traditional “Farewell to Stavyanka”, and we all released colored balloons. The Captain and crew were introduced on the deck with short speeches and we enjoyed the sunset with champagne and dance music.
Thu 25 A sunny and relaxing morning as we traveled along the 140 mile long Svir River. It was good to be able to catch up on our sleep. Last night we crossed the largest lake in Western Europe, Lake Ladoga. 30 rivers feed into it and it is only drained by one, the Neva to St. P., so no wonder the Neva is so big and often floods. Later in the morning we had the obligatory safety talk, some informal time with the 5 young tour guides, and a lifejacket drill. We went through the first of the 18 locks we will pass on our trip. We will rise up 115 m. to the White Lake, drop down through a couple of locks, and then ascend to Moscow at 162 m. along the Volga and connecting canal.
We arrived at Mandrogi Island at 1:30. It is a new tourist park, still under construction, made to look like a village. There were a lot of craftspeople working so we could see how the items were made. Some quite intricate and lovely—carvings, paintings, ceramics, weavings, etc. After the shashlyk picnic (pork kebobs and meat pies) which we were served I took the tiny open ferry across a stream to the woods where there was a Russian fairy tale walk (carved and painted figures) and a little man dressed like an elf who played his flute and welcomed guests. The ferry is propelled back and forth by a young boy walking around a revolving stile which winds or unwinds the cable.
The ship left at 6:00; went through another lock during dinner, and after dinner we attended a concert on board. The 4 musicians are all young professionals recognized in their fields—a soprano, a tenor, a balalaika player and an accordionist. The presented all Russian folk music and the 2 instrumentalist boggled our minds by ending with “The flight of the bumblebee”!
In the night we entered Lake Onega, the 2nd largest lake in W. Europe. It is 170 miles long, 60 miles wide. 40 rivers feed it and its only outlet is the Svir. It contains over 1,000 islands.
Fri 26 A beautiful calm, clear, sunny morning. We are passing through a wilderness of heavily forested, uninhabited islands. Attended a 9:15 lecture on the historical background of Russia, given by our on-board lecturer for the trip.
Some key points are:
Rossia was the name of a tribe who lived on a branch of the Dnieper R. In the 9th C they were conquered by a Scandinavian prince who consolidated many diverse tribes. Novgorod and Kiev were some of the earliest cities or settlements. The Rudikovich dynasty ruled for many centuries, followed by the Romanovs. The religion of Byzantium was chosen because it was very colorful and allowed practice in one’s native language. Political reasons as well. The oldest man in the family ruled, not necessarily the son of the prince. Land was then divided into principalities for several sons. 12th C battles for important trade routes. 13th C Mongol invasion (Tatars) successful because principalities were not united. This resulted in the loss of the art of mosaics for centuries. It was the 15th C before they were out of Mongol control. Ivan brought some peace. Then the Moscow period. Center of trade routes, surrounded by different principalities, so safe area. Became the capitol. Tsar Ivan III conquered the others to expand the principalities. (“Tsar” is the word for “Caesar”) Novgorod wanted to be independent. Bloody battles.
Roman coat of arms was eagle, one head. Russia took from Byzantium—double headed eagle. Ivan III married Sophia, princess from Constantinople. Boyars (nobles) had to swear allegiance. Made Russia more centralized. Ivan IV (“the terrible”) 7 wives, cruel man. Then the Stroganov family and sponsored conquering of Siberia. “Time of Troubles” many different tsars. 16 year old Michael was invited to rule. 17th C (Romanov century) Peter the Great changed the culture, brought in everything European, clothes, calendar, crafts, etc.
Originally serfs could move where they wanted and work for whom they wanted, but not in 17th to 19th C. Alexander II abolished serfdom in Russia in 1861. Last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II—a tragic story.
Russian Revolution: 1905 Stage 1. Bloody Sunday to bring troubles to Tsar’s attention. Allowed first Russian Parliament. Russia became a constitutional monarchy.
1917 Stage 2. Dismissed Tsar (Nicholas). Provisional government. Bolshevik party took power led by Lenin. Became the Soviet Union. Stalin wanted to turn the country from agricultural based economy to industrial with projects done very quickly. Collectivization. No more kitchen gardens allowed.
Stage 3. 1990’s
At 10 we arrived at Kizhi (“keegee”) Island. On shore we were told to stay on the paths and watch out for venomous serpents! Each group of about 30 had its own local guide plus one of the ship’s guides. It was a 10 minute walk to the famous and frequently photographed Transfiguration Cathedral. It was built entirely of wood with no nails. Legend says that that it was built by one man with only an axe. It has 22 wooden domes and is 300 years old. Nearby is the Resurrection Chapel or winter church for the island’s residents. This area is a museum of wooden architecture—wealthy farmers homes, a sauna (bath house), windmill, a bell tower from which a traditional peal was rung for us, and the oldest wooden church in Russia from the 13th Century. It was brought here and reconstructed. Lots of photo ops.
Sailed at 1:00. After lunch we were given a tour of the bridge. At 4:00 Russian Tea and pastries. The chef prepared all sorts of delicious tidbits, very colorful as well. Demonstrated the traditions of the Russian tea drinking ceremony. (Pour in saucer to cool, sip from that, with sugar cube.)
We will be sailing for the next 26 hours. As we left the lake we had 6 locks very close together, one only 18 m. wide and the ship is 16.7! Captain said to be sure to observe! We are now on the Volga-Baltic Canal.
6:00 Those who wanted learned to traditional Russian folk songs. Kalinka and Padmaskovniye vechera (Moscow nights in English). We heard these 2 songs performed almost everywhere we went.
After dinner we were treated to a classical Piano concert by Anna Babak. She is very young and pretty with amazing skill and had made several CDs. She played Rachmaninof, Tchaikovsky, Chopin preludes, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Jazz (Chick Corea, Dvorak, and a Canadian composer).
Standing out on the deck at twilight we watched children selling buckets of tiny red berries from their rowboat to our crew while we were waiting to enter a lock. The berries are tiny, red and bitter, but I think we have had some in a salad or two. They are supposedly “good for the eyes.” One person mentioned they might be whorl berries. ??
After dinner we were treated to a classical Piano concert by Anna Babak. She is very young and pretty with amazing skill and had made several CDs. She played Rachmaninof, Tchaikovsky, Chopin preludes, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Jazz (Chick Corea, Dvorak, and a Canadian composer)
Standing out on the deck at twilight we watched children selling buckets of tiny red berries from their rowboat to our crew while we were waiting to enter a lock. The berries are tiny, red and bitter, but I think we have had some in a salad or two. They are supposedly “good for the eyes.” One person mentioned they might be whorl berries. ??
Sat 27 Again bright sun, no clouds. Temp lower 60’s. 9 am Lesson #1 Basic Russian, then a cooking demonstration then a one hour film “Russia’s Last Tsar”—a PBS National Geographic special. The whole story of the life of Nicholas II. Truly a tragic tale. Then bingo before lunch.
At 3:00 we arrived at Goritsy on the Sheksna River near the Resurrection Convent. We were taken by bus to the town of Kirillov on the White Lake (8 km away) to visit the Kirilo-Belozersky Monastery, built in 1397. Perhaps this tour was not worth the effort but we saw a bit of the countryside, heard again more about icons that we could absorb and had to run the gauntlet of souvenirs vendors at the dock, but I guess it at least got us off the boat for a while.
After we sailed at 6 we attended Lecture # 2 on Russian Geography and how the identity if Russia and the character of its people has been affected by the climate. With the long dark cold winters seasonal affective disorders are common and vodka consumption continues to rise.
After dinner we had a musical concert of piano and balalaika in classical arrangements from Paganini’s Caprice (for violin, of course, but he did it on the balalaika) to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He really makes the balalaika talk and in the daytime he and the tenor are the ship’s photographers.
Sun 28 After breakfast, Lecture session—Current developments in the country. The period of the last 15 years has been quite uncomfortable. Perestroika period. Gorbachov wanted many parties to work for the reconstruction towards a market economy but prices were still controlled by the state. It was only a half measure and many people became poorer. 1989-91 many laws were adopted but didn’t work. Many strikes led to the separation of the individual nations. Putsch in the 1990’s. Special ration cards were needed for everything. Of course sugar was critical in order to preserve home-grown produce.
1992 Yeltsin government the most difficult period. State removed price controls and prices went up 26 times as much! Salaries multiplied only by 12. Foreign good we allowed in. Disaster. People shopped only in flea markets. There still is no middle class today but it is beginning to appear. “Privatization” was a nice trick to make the population poorer. People bought vouchers to hold shares in small businesses. The rich bought them out. Lots of criminal money in the 90’s in the big cities and illegal profit makers. National conflicts appeared in the territories. Wanted independence.
“A totally new system was put on a totally unprepared society.”
Putin is now quite popular. He is a well educated and strong man. Some say he is trying to take too much power. Maybe a “new Stalin”?
1998 was an economic disaster. The exchange rate for rubles went from 6 to 15. People began to hoard. Many speculated and made money. Still changing.
Housing: It is possible to keep one’s city apartment as private ownership for lifetime and for children’s lifetime, but the responsibility for upkeep is expensive. Many would rather have the municipality do it. Just rent. “Black salary”=what is made under the table. No taxes. “White salary” is official. Pay taxes. Minimum is 800 rubles/mo. Would need at least 9,000 to have a normal life. Income tax is 13%. Goes toward retirement. Better to have it legal. Big companies can do this.
Medical care: In state hospitals, but you need a private dentist. Medical free but not the best. You can pay extra for special care, better medicines, etc.
Education: High scores will admit to universities free but must pay extra for prestigious departments like foreign languages, law, or foreign business.
In general people now are satisfied. But 50, 60 and older thought the past was better because of the free medical care, job guarantees, and housing. Now they are confused and frustrated. We saw many older women sweeping in parks, sitting in museum rooms as monitors, and such (for a small income). Unemployment is still a problem. Has been since the 90’s
There is a construction boom for private apartments in Moscow as different industrial enterprises are starting. Maybe the next 5-10 years will be better.
Difficulty of many with too high an education getting only menial work or being sent out to small villages. In the 90’s many went abroad to work and girls to marry Americans if they could. Now there is not such a big desire to escape.
The population of Russia is shrinking. In cities couples only have one child, except in the eastern part, close to China. Couples can get a bank loan for an apartment. When first child is born you pay less and with second child even more. Idea of mortgages is new and just beginning to be understood.
This morning we went through the Rybinsk Lock, the biggest and highest of our trip. The Rybinsk reservoir is huge, over 1776 sq. miles, and was filled in 6 years in the 1940’s. Some of the industrial cities we are passing are Cherepovets (ship building and metallurgy) and Rybinsk (known for printing, ship and automobile repair industries.)
Later we watched another PBS film, this one was “Russia—the Missing years: the Fall of the Tsars” with lots of live footage of that last revolution.
At 11:30 we were treated to a tasting party of Blinis with Caviar and vodka. Blinis are Russian crepes. We ate these with a choice of black and red caviar, sour cream, 2 different jams, honey, or berry syrup. This vodka was amber colored and tasted somewhat like cognac.
Then we went to Russian language lesson #2.
We have left the main canal and are now cruising down a section of the Volga. We shall come back to here in a couple of days and continue up to Moscow. Passed by the town of Tutaev, founded in 1283, with many colorful churches. Saw the Tolga monastery, founded in 1314, closed by the Bolsheviks in 1926 and turned into a labor education colony. In 1988 it was given back to the Orthodox Church, restored and turned into a nunnery.
Arrived at Yaroslavl at 4:00. This is the oldest city on the Volga (1010). It has always been an important trade center and is about to celebrate its 1000 anniversary. We were given a city tour by bus of the old historic center, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We toured the Transfiguration Monastery (16th C.) and Ken and I climbed the bell tower for great views of the area. A “master” bell ringer had set up on the grounds a demonstration of how the tower bells are rung by a series of crossed cables played by one man. Very tricky!
We visited the Church of St. Elyjah the Prophet and were amazed by the bright frescoes and huge iconostasis. By the end of the trip we had seen many of these traditional Orthodox Cathedrals. Very impressive and quite different in style from the European Catholic Cathedrals.
We were taken from there to attend a folk ensemble performance, “Skoromoshina”, a local group. (Mandolin, balalaika, accordion, big (huge!) balalaika, and percussion—bells, spoons, and bird whistles, etc. Also a singer and a dancer. We didn’t get back to dinner on the ship until 8:00.
Mon 29 Arrived in Kostroma at 8:30. We first boarded a small river boat to visit the Ipatiev Monastery. Founded in 13th C. Boris Godonov built the church in the 16thC. Rebuilt in the 17th C after a fire. The 3 domes represent the trinity. The 5 domes are Christ surrounded by 4 evangelists. We listened to the “choir”—5 men in black, a cappella, and rich beautiful harmonies. They sang the Volga Boatmen song. This is where the Kostroma River meets the Volga. This area is famous for flax production and many linen products. I bought a tablecloth from one of the craft stalls outside the monastery.
A bus picked us up here to take us on a tour of the city. The weather is still mild and sunny. They call this “Ladies’ Summer” or “the Golden Autumn”. It usually lasts only about 2 to 3 weeks. Stopped at the 15th C. Epiphany Convent where Mass was being held. Today is a special holiday honoring the icon of St. Theodore who supposedly does miracles for young girls. This was the sole icon of Mikhail Romanov.
Many buildings in the city center are in the style of late Russian Classicism from the end of the 19th C. In the center of town the art nouveau buildings were mostly destroyed in the Soviet period as they were not considered to have artistic value. Kostroma was founded in 1152. We spent some time wandering around the main square in the market arcades and the huge outdoor farmers market.
Nicholas II laid the cornerstone for a new cathedral here which Stalin demolished, just as he did many important churches. The present statue of Lenin is erected on that cornerstone. The statues of Lenin everywhere show him with one arm extended, pointing. They now say he is pointing towards Siberia!
Some comments by our local guide: The unattractive “Stalin apartments” are at least fairly large and comfortable, but the 1960’s “Khrushchev apartments” have tiny kitchens. Khrushchev thought he was “freeing women from domestic slavery” and that soon under Communism everyone would be eating in communal dining areas! As I mentioned before, now the individual apartments are gradually being privatized.
At 2:00 we sailed back up the Volga past Yaroslavl and the villages we had already visited and through the Rybinsk Lock and into the canal up to Moscow. A late lunch was served, and we skipped the napkin folding demonstration, the Bingo game, and the Russian Checkers match. Just read and relaxed as the afternoon was cloudy and looked like rain. After dinner they had the Neptune Festival with sort of corny costumes and games and after the 8:15 dinner we attended a Gala Musical concert featuring all the musicians on board.
Tue 30 Up at 6 for breakfast as we arrived in Uglich at 8:00 where we took a walking tour of the Transfiguration Cathedral, the Church of Dimitry on the Blood and Prince Dimitry Chambers (the “palace”). Sunny but scattered clouds and getting colder (only 50 or 52 deg.) We are beginning to see spots of fall color on the river banks. Dimitry was the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible. He was assassinated here at age 7—ending that dynasty and giving Boris Godonov power. Dimitry has been sanctified. In the Cathedral we saw the many frescoes and typical Orthodox iconostasis. We heard 4 men in black robes sing 2 songs in the cathedral. Lovely harmony as usual (could this be called Russian barbershop?) The word kremlin means a wooden walled fortress surrounding a square with palaces, churches, etc. This wall is gone.
In our free time we visited the Chaika watch factory in Uglich where we both bought wristwatches. Mine is decorated with little painted enamel panels on the band. Chaika means seagull. Then we made a stop at the internet café. The ship sailed at 11:00.
Before lunch I attended a round table discussion called “From Culture to Culture”. Some questions were how leaders are elected (a Sunday election, held in schools, 18 or older may vote, 4 year terms, 2 terms allowed for President). Weddings: 15 years ago not in church but now more do. First go to office (Wedding Palace) to register, and then visit important monuments around the city or town to pay respects, and then party in evening. There is a “drink out” ceremony and the groom “buys out” the girl’s dowry. None of the girls we were talking to plan to be married in church. Parents of bride usually pay $2,000 to 3,000 for a wedding. Most couples live together first. Everybody carries a passport within the country. Important ID. Grandparents take care of small children so both parents can work, or there is a small government allowance to a parent who stays home with a child under 3. Children can go to a state kindergarten at age 2. At age 16 they can marry without their parents’ consent and can get a passport. At 18 drinking and smoking is legal but most younger children have easy access to purchasing liquor. Laws very lax. Children are unattended after school if both parents are working. Communal apartments are still being used in St. P. Maybe a couple will share both kitchen and bath with others. Dachas were given by the State during the communist period. Now they can be inherited. In the Soviet period 80% of the churches were closed. Now church is becoming fashionable. People need something to believe in—communism or religion.
After lunch I went to Russian language session #3. Raining hard outside. Then at 3:30 was the next lecture session on Russia and Russians today. Describing the national character—the typical Russian person is generous, risky, emotional, very passionate, and quite contradictory. A good example is the way they drive and ignore traffic rules or no smoking or no entering signs. They just do it anyway. It is typical to cheat and especially to bribe the traffic police. “Maybe” or “possibly” are favorite words. They try anything, even if dangerous, such as extreme sports. They try to settle questions without a court (too lengthy) but things may be changing.
Holidays used to last 2 days. New Year is the favorite one. There is at least one major civil holiday a month. Valentines Day has only been observed the past 5 years (with the young). At Easter everyone goes to church, even if they don’t otherwise. It is the “social” thing to do.
A Russian hostess always cooks twice as much as her guests need. Guests must taste and complement each item of food even if they can only take a bite of each. They must drink as well but the host will understand if you say you cannot. Business meetings consist of the official part followed by a sauna and drinks of vodka. When in a group it is polite to pay for the others. There are no rules for tipping. Often generous.
Russians are intensely loyal to the “motherland” or “fatherland”. This is not the same as the “State.” Their contradiction is that they can be very lazy and then work hard the next day. “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” They are emotional and show a bad mood. There is no cultural “polite smile” as Americans have.
In Russia when asked how you are you answer just OK. Not fine as we would. You downplay the answer because you don’t want the other to feel jealous.
Young women like high heels, lots of makeup and decoration. Over 50 they wear skirts.
After the culture lesson we had a brief rehearsal for tonight’s “Talent Show”. The Language class will sing (in Russian) Kalinka. The words refer to a snowball bush and lovers and “malinka” is a raspberry. Sort of nonsensical but everyone knows the tune.
This afternoon we passed the flooded belfry of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in the town of Kalyazin which was flooded with the construction of the Uglich Reservoir in the 1950’s.
This evening we entered the 127 km. long Moscow canal, completed in 1937, connecting Moscow to the Volga River.
There was brief documentary film on Moscow at 5:30 and the Captain’s dinner was at 7. After that was the Talent Show.
Wed 31 Eight of us had asked for a special tour of the ship’s kitchen, so they took us down right after breakfast. One of the on-board guides acted as translator for the head cook (pastry chef). Each type of food is prepared in a separate area such as vegetables, meats, fish, pastries, etc. We asked how many potatoes they used for this trip. One and a half tons! There are also separate refrigerated rooms for each type of food—beverages, produce, meats, fish, cereals. Soup prep area has its own boiling water pipe, a huge special oven for stews. All immaculately clean, even though they had just finished with breakfast.
10:00 last language class. Then a disembarkation talk followed by an 11:45 lunch. Arrived at Moscow’s North River Terminal at 1:00. We went by bus on a city tour. It took an hour to get in to the center of the city because of the traffic on the Leningrad Highway and Tverskaya Street. Our tour included Red Square (red means beautiful), a little time in the GUM department store (now like any fashionable western mall), found it raining hard as we left the store, St. Basil’s Cathedral, with its many brightly colored, Disneyland-looking domes is one of the best known landmarks of the square. Basil was martyred as a “fool in Christ”. Ivan the Terrible ordered the building of the church. He held a competition for the best architects and when it was completed legend says that he had the 2 architects blinded so there would never be another exactly like it. The main cathedral is under the highest dome, with 8 domed chapels surrounding it. From there we went to see the Cathedral of Our Savior, the main cathedral of all Russia. Rebuilt in 1995 over the outdoor swimming pool Stalin had put in after demolishing the original cathedral.
Then we drove up to the Sparrow Hills, the highest point in Moscow, for an overview of the city. It’s really only about 300 or 400 feet high. This is also the campus of the University of Moscow. They house 40 different departments here. Several of the girls who are guiding us on this trip are students in the foreign language department here.
The bus left us at Arbat Street where we went in small groups into the Metro station and rode around through several other stations to get to see how they are all decorated. Of course just being able to say we have ridden on the Moscow Metro is an experience in itself! A train comes every minute and they go quite fast. We had directions to get all the way to the furthest station in the park near where our ship was docked, if we wanted. Some did that, and it probably was quicker that driving in all the traffic. When we came back to Arbat Street (famous as a walking street for shoppers) we were to meet in front of Macdonalds after using their toilets. It’s the same in any country! By then it was 6:00 and pouring rain and no one wanted to shop. Also we were supposed to be at the circus at 7.
As we headed north the traffic was unbelievable. Stop and start, 6 lanes wide, crazy drivers driving up on the sidewalks and everywhere! At 7:30 we were still sitting in traffic. Apparently there was an accident ahead and we were stopped completely. It was a circus watching the traffic! The guide finally got word on the cell phone that we obviously had missed the performance tonight and that dinner would be waiting for us when we got to the boat. That was finally 8:00. They made arrangements for us to see the circus tomorrow instead.
Thu Sep 1 Cloudy and still only 52 degrees. 9:00 bus to the Tretiakov Gallery (The National Museum of Russian Fine Art). More discussions about the history of icon painting, from early mosaics to the persona art at the end of the 17th century. We spent some time in the portrait galleries and also some early 19th C realistic scenes. I especially was taken by the artists Briullov, Ivanov and Shishkin. Now I will have to see more from these men. Here too they skipped showing us the impressionists, who were in a separate building. Ken was disappointed.
We have decided that the one drawback to staying on the boat in Moscow is the long drive in to town each time. An hour at least each way and some days we went in 3 times! We actually only had 1 ½ hrs. in the art gallery. After our 1:30 lunch Ken walked through the park by the river while I napped. At 4:15 we were off to the circus (an earlier performance today) and they gave us VIP seats. There really were not many people there other than another tour group and a few families with children, but they say they are full on the weekends.
The tour company had decided not to take us to the State Circus as they have been getting negative feedback from their passengers lately. (I also heard this from a woman on the plane going home who was with a different tour company and went to that one.) Apparently there are no longer any animals in the State Circus and it is a disappointing performance, no longer under the same management. This “Rainbow Circus” was under a real big top not far from our boat dock. It is a group from Georgia which has been there all summer and will soon return home for the winter. We all thought they were wonderful! It was a small intimate ring, but what they did in it! Lavish costumes, high tech laser lighting, at least 20 to 25 dancers and acrobats, and the animals included dogs, foxes, minks, coati mundi, porcupines, doves, peacocks, ostriches, camels, a donkey, llamas, a yak, snakes, ponies, horses, a bear, emu?, monkeys, wallabies, ferrets, pelicans, geese, and I have probably forgotten some! It lasted 2 ½ hours, and the illusionist still has us shaking our heads.
This was also the night we had signed up for the “Moscow by Night” tour. The bus picked us up at 9 and took us back in to town to see how beautifully lighted it all is. Fortunately, without traffic I guess it was only a half hour or so to get there. We stopped by the pond near the New Maidens Convent to see the reflections there. This was where Tchaikovsky loved to stroll and was the inspiration for Swan Lake. From there we went back to Sparrow Hill to look down on the city lights at night. All 7 of the “Stalin skyscrapers” are also beautifully illuminated at night to best emphasize their unique architecture. This illumination of churches and all major monuments was instigated in 1997.
We drove around to the west of Moscow and stopped at Victory Park on Bow Hill to admire acres of red illuminated fountains and the flower clock honoring Moscow’s 858 years since founding. Then drove up Tverskaya Street to see all the brightly lighted casinos (Las Vegas style) which our guide seemed to think would be sadly missed if all casinos are moved to the outskirts, as is being considered.
For our “midnight march” across Red Square we entered through the Resurrection Gate, also brightly lighted, and enjoyed the experience at night. Even got some snapshots with digital cameras.
Fri Sep 2 Left at 8:15 in order to get to the Kremlin in time. Many streets are blocked as this weekend is the celebration of Moscow Days, the city’s birthday.
The Kremlin is the main residence of power in Russia as well as a museum. The president of the country usually resides there, but Putin lives elsewhere. It means a town within a town, with many churches, cathedrals, streets and squares. The 5 cathedrals on the oldest square are the main one, the Assumption Cathedral, built in the 15th C; the Cathedral of Annunciation, the home church of the Tsars; the Archangel Cathedral, the burial place of Tsars until Peter the Great; the Patriarch’s Cathedral where public services are held, and the Bell tower and Chapel, the highest structure on the Kremlin grounds. We only visited 2 of the cathedrals and said we had had enough. It was getting quite cold and windy. We still had time before our noon appointment to tour the Armory, so we went back to the Palace of Congress, a 1960’s modern concrete structure, now a concert hall, where we had a coffee/tea break in their café.
We were able to spend more time in the Armory Museum than planned (2 hours). We saw collections of arms and armor, as well as many special collections of the Tsars’ possessions: ceremonial dresses of princesses, regional thrones, old carriages, state regalia, crowns (the first 14th C crown, called the cap of Monomach, is fur lined and was only used once in a tsar’s lifetime.
Lunch was waiting on the ship when we arrived at 3:15.
Packed our bags, took a walk in the park, settled our bills for the extra expense optional tours, took a short rest, had dinner at 7:00 and tried to get to sleep early.
One bonus to us of the particular cruise was that the owner of the company, Boris Kotlyarsky, was traveling with us. He was very conscientious trying to see that everyone was taken care of. He had a great sense of humor and stepped in to try to untangle many last minute snafus. We had been told in advance that we would be in a third world country and everything would not necessarily run just as scheduled, so we came with a flexible attitude and very much appreciated Boris’s attitude and problem solving when needed.
Sat 3 2;45 am was our wakeup call! By 3 our bags were out, and we were on the bus to take us to the airport by 3:30. Our flight wasn’t until 7am. 24 hours later we arrived in Oakland (6:15 pm there!)