Cruising Russian Waterways

Since our 5 days cruising the Russian waterways will very likely be without internet, I plan to keep a daily journal and post the entire portion when we arrive in Moscow.

SVIRSTROY

Although our visit to St. Petersburg was nonstop with so many wonderful sights not to be missed, I

finally felt like I was on a river cruise last night  as the AmaKatarina began its voyage on Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega – the 2 largest lakes in Europe.  We would be seeing a more ancient, more primitive Russia that fit old picture books.  It was delightful standing on our balcony looking out on vast virgin forests covered in brilliant fall foliage which would be disappearing in about 2 weeks.  The Lake Onega has over 1000 islands which further enhance its natural beauty.
The river banks were dotted with picturesque little wooden houses and churches topped with clustered onion domes.  I must admit I was totally surprised by the beauty of the Russian countryside.

The Svir River runs about 500 miles in northern Russia connecting Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, the largest lake in Europe.   From December to April the river usually freezes, but once spring thaws arrive, local fishermen reel in salmon and trout.

Our stop this afternoon was the small village of Svirstroy with a population of only 1000 residents.  We were divided into small groups and invited into the homes of various villagers. 

Our hosts, Tatiana and Michael, were a delightful couple and loved showing us their home and telling us about their family and their lives in this small northern Russian village.  

Both retired at 55 and enjoy gardening in the summer months and making handicrafts during the long winter months which are sold to tourists.  

They have one daughter who is married and  granddaughter.  One of their 2 bedrooms was decorated in bright pink colors for her and held many books and stuffed animals  

You could tell how proud they were of their family by all the photos in the dining room where we sat and had tea and sweets.

 

When I look back over our Russia cruise, I know there will be other high points, but our visit with Tatiana and Michael will rank very high.

KIZHI ISLAND

This morning no bright sunshine greeted our arrival on Kizhi Island, but, even the slight showers didn’t spoil the beauty of this UNESCO World Heritage site.  The largest island in the northern part of Lake

Onega, Kizhi Island has the finest assembly of ancient wooden churches in Russia. 

Dominating the island as we arrived was the 22-domed Church of the Transfiguration, built in 1714.  There are 30,000 shingles on 22 separate cupolas set on 5 tents composing the ascending nest.  

Watching an islander shaving the blocks of aspen wood in just a few

minutes, we saw how the shingles were made.

Within the same wooden-walled compound was an octagonal bell tower  built in 1862.  

Just as we approached the tower, the bells began to ring.  A nun was ringing a beautiful melody on the bells.  I tried to include her in my photo but wasn't able to capture the entire scene.

The third building in the complex was the 18^thcentury Church of the Intercession built without a single nail.  

A little further on was the oldest building on the island, the 13^th-century Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus. This structure was moved from the Murom Monastery located on Lade Onega in another district.  Legend has it that it was

built by the Russian monk Lazarus of Murom, founder of the monastery (1286-1391). The tiny windows could be covered by a long board slid across the wall to keep out the bitter cold of winter which can drop to -40 C.

Besides these churches, there were 2 homes.  The largest was built for a family of 19 with a large dining room table around which we gathered.  In the same room there was an area set aside for “woman’s work” with a suspended cradle to keep the baby happy, a loom to

weave blankets from scraps of old clothes and even a wooden walker for the baby.  The stove was located on another corner.

Completing our tour was a bath house where hot rocks heated over fire were dropped into a big tub to heat the water.  This early 20^th century structure was moved from the village of Mizhostrov in a nearby district; in fact, most of the structures had been carefully reconstructed from other islands in the area.

The rest of the day was spent cruising down the huge Lake Onega.  Time could be spent relaxing on balconies or the sun deck.  Later  there was an excellent lecture  on “Soviet Russia from Lenin to Putin” as well as a talk on Russian Tea and how it is made followed by a Russian Tea Party.  I think we will all return with a much better understanding of this complex but fascinating country.

GORITSY

This morning as we cruised along the river we passed the Nativity Church of Krokhino village where the River Sheksna flows into the White Lake.

There was plenty to keep anyone busy who didn't want to sleep all morning.  Today's lecture topic was "Everyday Life in Russia" and included family life, education, religion, marriage and taxation.  This was followed by my second class in Russian.
 I am still working on saying my cabin number, 208, in Russian when I ask for my key as well as the color of the tour I will be on.  Getting better at greetings and other simple phrases.

We were a little late getting into Goritsy due to heavy fog on the river earlier this morning.  Our

destination here was the Monastery of St. Cyril.  In 1397, St. Cyril was 60 yrs. old when he received a vision from the Virgin Mary telling him to travel over 300 km to the shores of the White Lake where he lived the life of a hermit.  Soon other pilgrims followed his example and the site developed into an important monastery, supported by the stars.  It was very wealthy until Catherine the Great decided to take back much of the wealth of these religious centers to prevent their influence on the government.

Not only are the buildings lovely but also its setting on the White Lake.

What a perfect time to visit the monastery as the leaves on the poplars were turning and falling.

Back on board the ship there was no rest for the weary as we had a lesson on judging vodkas and the

'proper' way to drink this traditional Russian beverage.  The younger members of the crew were in charge of these lessons and had all us in stitches before the session ended.  On a more practical note the chef gave us lessons (with the assistance of a translator) on how to make the famous Russian Blinis (pancakes).  Actually, they are more like  French crepes and were delicious although I'd forego the caviar addition.

As good students we were then treated to a Blinis and Vodka tasting upstairs in the dining room.  Dr Coons demonstrates the correct

method of sampling one of the 3 types we tried -- Cherry, Traditional and Pepper. The only one I liked was the cherry.

After dinner we enjoyed a piano concert of Russian masters, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, in the aft lounge.  By then bed was very appealing.

YAROSLAVL

Sunrise was a rarity as usually the skies were cloudy early in the morning so I couldn't resist this photo.

I had forgotten that we were told to be on the watch for the Rybinsk Lock, the biggest lock consisting of 2 passageways through which we would pass this morning on our way to the Volga River.  Fortunately, I happened to be standing on our balcony when I saw the huge arches of the lock ahead of us. 

Without even snatching my coat (a mistake I definitely regretted in a few minutes), I grabbed my

camera and ran upstairs to the top deck and out onto the bow of the ship.

What a spectacular site as the lock came into view.   I have never seen locks with such beautifully-designed  arches.  Also, I’d never seen so many seagulls flying around the channels.  They obviously found something very interesting in the locks.  Our passage was a slow process but fascinating.  I was shocked to see a barge enter our channel and manage the passage beside us with very little leeway.  After the back gate rose up out of the channel, thus stopping the flow of water into it, our ship began to drop down.  When  we reached the appropriate level, the gates in front of us opened, filling the channel with water and we cruised out of the lock. 

The same time we were going through the lock with the adjacent barge, a huge barge, the entire length of the channel, was in the adjacent lock.  They were a little ahead of us and cruised out before we did.

Morning activities included a Q&A session with three young staff members who accompanied us when we went ashore along with our  local guides.  I honestly think their primary role was to be sure we all got back to the ship on time!

We had gotten acquainted with all of them, ages 19 to 25 and were looking

forward to learning more about their lives in Russia, plans for the future and views on the US.  That's Helga on the right and Sergey on the left.

All are studying linguistics, primarily English, in various universities in Russia and were working for the cruise line as  summer job. All were quite proficient in English as well as very personable.  They were quite willing to discuss not only their interests, economic opportunities in Russia, where they would like to visit and plans for the future as well as their views on the US government.... quite interesting!! 

I had planned to join a walking tour of Yaroslavl this 

afternoon but changed my mind when it started raining.  Joining the driving tour, I had a tour of the old city.  Founded in 1010  Yaroslavl, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the oldest  towns in Europe and contained many beautiful gold and colorfully painted domed churches and monasteries.  My favorite was the 17th century re-brik and ceramic tiled Church of the Epiphany.

A highlight of the afternoon was our visit to the Governor’s Palace.  Lovely young women in 19^th century gowns escorted us through the various rooms, explaining the art.  

For the tour’s finale we were ushered into the Ballroom where we sipped champagne while musicians entertained us.  As they started to play a lovely

minuet, each young hostess selected a dance partner to join her.  We loved watching our own Paul Dieckert dance the minuet with the lovely hostess on the right!

UGLICH

Located on the banks of the Volga, Uglich was founded by merchants in 1148 and was home to some 

 

of Russia's most beautiful churches. 

  

Due to the cloudy weather my photos don’t do the town justice, but the autumn leaves added the perfect touch to the parks and old churches. 

First stop was Church of St. Dmitry on the  Blood.  Ivan the Terrible murdered his son Dmitry at age 9. According to legend,sometime later blood from his casket when it was returned to Uglich. Considered a miracle, this resulted is his being declared a saint 15 years later. 

 The interior of the church contained beautiful icons.

In the nearby Cathedral of the Transfiguration a male ensemble a cappela  performed a beautiful hymn recital for us.  Acoustics were perfect in the high-valuted room

The oldest building and my favorite was the 15^th century Dimtry’s Palace.
 Made of wood,

its domes were covered in shingles similar to those we saw on Kirzi Island several days ago.  A small museum inside contained relics documenting his life.

Our tour ended but time remained before our ship sailed so we headed to nearby shops and the small but well-stocked  market.  I had made several purchases with one item on my list still remaining when I noticed my billfold was gone.  Still haven’t figured out exactly what happened as I had just made a purchase a few minutes earlier and the market wasn’t crowded. 

Once onboard I cancelled the 2 cards I was carrying.  Fortunately, I didn’t have much cash with me and had 2 more credit cards in our room safe so purchases will continue!

Tonight was the Captain’s Farewell dinner.  Phyllis and I had been invited to sit at his table along with 6 other guests.  It proved to be a very informative and enjoyable evening.

Tomorrow we sail into Moscow, the capital of Russia.  I hope to post our 5-day voyage along Russia’s Waterways – a truly remarkable experience!

More from Moscow,

Linda