Oct 8, 2018 - The Golden Ring - Suzdal

Suzdal is essentially an open-air museum that preserves the Russian past - a place that Peter the Great would still recognize. The Golden Dome of Russia - so called for its many domed churches, monasteries, convents. A stunning Kremlin, excellent museums, pleasant cafes ... And still not a single American to be seen. And this is a major World Heritage site just an hour or so by train from Moscow. This is starting to get creepy. I've met more Russians in Destin than Americans in Russia. We should get out more. I'll post photos later. Not...

Oct 5, 2018 - Kazan - Tartarstan

Welcome, Kazan is said to be Russia's third capital and the heart of its Muslim population. It's easily the most interesting city so far. The Urals were no more than a gentle rise on our way here to European Russia and the banks of the Volga. The 12th century Kremlin (fortress) built by Ivan the Terrible is a World Heritage Site. The site contains a striking mosque, a 15th century Orthodox church and several excellent museums. The mineralogical museum is the best I've ever visited and the adjacent Natural History museum is world class....

Sep 29, 2018 - Yekaterinburg - Aftermath of the Revolution

Yekaterinburg - Founded in 1723 by Peter the Great and named in honor of his new wife, Catherine. Perhaps this is the best place to mention the 101st anniversary of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. An event by which Russia is defined by much of the west. I remember Yalta. The Tsar's summer retreat. Sweet pictures of the family. The girls - Tatiana, Olga, Maria, and young Anastasia. The Church on the Blood is on the sight of their murders. For more on the various conspiracy theories that suggest one of them might have survived you...

Sep 28, 2018 - Irkutsk - The Paris of Siberia?

Not quite. Although the wide boulevards, tree lined streets, parks along the river are somewhat reminiscent of Paris it's not even close. But it was the arts and intellectual climate that earned Irkutsk that sobriquet. Irkutsk also has excellent restaurants - Russian, Italian, Georgian ... and the service is excellent. I hadn't expected that but it is very welcome. The three days by train to get here went well. The compartment was clean and comfortable. The views were spectacular. The route edges North Korea for a bit then Manchuria and...

Sep 23, 2018 - Vladivostok - > Moscow

Finally! Russia. I've traveled to 11 of the 15 former Soviet Republics but this is my first visit to Mother Russia. I know better than to assume what I'll find. Vladivostok, "the San Francisco of Russia", is the Eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian. The omnipresent hills fit the comparison and the seafood is excellent at a fraction of SF's prices. The service is very friendly as well. I hadn't expected the level of service from my experience at getting the Russian visa.(Whatever you do, don't smile.) The State Art Gallery has some very...

Aug 24, 2018 - DAY 8 - St Petersburg 2

Day 8 - St Petersburg 2 Ashore at 7.15am for a 7.30am pickup. A couple of quick photo-stops before a very pleasant early-morning boat trip on the Neva river and around part of the extensive network of canals - it is just like Venice, but without the smells! Then on to the Hermitage Museum. With our 10am tickets we just beat the massive queue that built up soon afterwards. Once again Olga was outstanding - you could spend days in there and still only see a tiny fraction of the exhibits, but she knew exactly which ones she wanted us to see,...

Aug 23, 2018 - DAY 7 - St Petersburg 1

Day 7 - St Petersburg 1 Ashore by 7.15am to get through Russian Immigration/Customs ready to meet our tour guide and the rest of our group in time for an 8am start. On recommendation from friends, Graham had booked the four of us in for a 2-day 'Must-See St Petersburg' excursion from private company 'Alla Tours' instead of the usual P&O offerings. There are 12 of us from Arcadia plus 4 Americans from the Celebrity Eclipse (one of the other 6 cruise ships in port today), with our tour guide Olga and minibus driver Alexis. Highlights of the...

Jul 28, 2018 - Now in Moscow

After 10 nights on board the ship we are now in the Intercontinental Hotel in Moscow and have a much better internet available. Our cruise across the waterways of this part of Russia included stops at many interesting ports including Goritsy, Yaroslavl, Uglich and now Moscow. We have been here 3 days and it really is spectacular. A very large well organized and clean city with so much history. We have been to Red Square several times including at night. The Kremiln is spectacular. Have been on the Metro and enjoyed viewing 4 metro...

Jul 22, 2018 - Traveling on

Kizhi is a small Island at the top of Onega Lake, the second largest lake in Europe. A tour around the island took us through the open air museum of wooden architecture, hundreds of years old. Plenty of activities on board keep us occupied - yesterday's highlight was a Vodka Show with plenty of different varieties to try and typical Russian snacks to go with them.

Jul 21, 2018 - Cruising

Last night we sailed from St Petersburg and travelled along the Svir River to Mandrogi. We spent the afternoon exploring this old traditional village set up for tourism, similar to Sovereign Hill. A lovely bbq was arranged followed by a concert of traditional folk singers and musicians. The afternoon included a visit to a vodka museum, including tasting. Then a tea ceremony on board ship. Later to day we are going to have a Russian language lesson. Should be fun.

Jul 20, 2018 - We join the cruise ship

We came by high speed train from Helsinki to St Petersburg to join our cruise ship. We have now been moored here for two nights and will be leaving later this afternoon. Have had two very busy days here in St Petersburg. Yesterday we spent the morning at the Hermitage Art Gallery before doing a city tour of some of the highlights. We had an early morning start today to visit Peterhoff and tour the palace and the water gardens. It was wonderful and very similar to Versailles. Wi-fi is a problem on the boat and is restricted to a few areas (...

Jun 15, 2018 - .......Go on I trust U

June 15, Friday Last night when we came into our room there was a snack plate sent from the dining room in case we were hungry after our long day. We slept late, had a small breakfast, and Dick decided he would rather have a nap then get on another bus. So off Mary and I went to see Panaramic St Petersburg. Our guide was an older Russia woman who much preferred her city over Moscow. There was a lot to see. Every building has history. Museums everywhere, parks, statues, cathedrals, and the river. It is hard to absorb that much...