Interlachen Travelers: Russia on the Volga-Baltic Waterway

Moscow to St. Petersburg aboard the MS Volga Dream --- Sis Mishou, September 2009

The journey began in Moscow with a whirlwind of tours including a city tour, tour of the Kremlin and the Armory, a visit to the GUM (shopping center) and Red Square.  Included was a visit to the Sparrow Hills district for a panoramic view of greater Moscow- it was unbelievable.   Muscovites were preparing for a celebration of the 862nd birthday of Moscow; so there were many stages/platforms being erected all over the city and it was alive with many, many young people that were going to participate in the festivities.  The renaissance that is occurring in the city is everywhere; later we discovered this to be true throughout the countryside we visited.  And Brides, brides everywhere!

The next evening we boarded the MS Volga Dream.  This is a river boat that was totally redesigned in 2007 with Luxury River cruising in mind.  The ship’s passenger capacity is only 109, and this translates into double the size of cabins compared to other river boats sailing this route.  Being this small gives more of an intimate “yacht” style experience and the boat’s décor reflects this same luxurious feeling.

The trip is 1367 kilometers, through 16 locks and an elevation change of 162 meters from Moscow to St. Petersburg.  The canal system was begun under the rule of Peter the Great and vastly expanded under a directive of Stalin’s regime.  It was during the last expansion that over 700 villages were flooded,  (this was not made public to the inhabitants before hand); some of the remains are visible in the middle of the waterway.   Ports of call included Uglich, Plyos, Yaroslavl, Goritsy, the island of Kizhi, and Mandrogi; bookended by Moscow and St. Petersburg.  With the exception of the 2 major cities all of the tours in the ports were included in the price of the cruise.

 

As mentioned before, the reconstruction is rampant. Many churches are draped in scaffolding, having fallen under disrepair during the Soviet era.  The Volga region is preparing for their Millennium celebration in August 2010.  In Yaroslavl, there is the reconstruction of a huge church that was totally destroyed during the Bolshevik era; in Plyos the park atop the highest point above the village is undergoing major updating of walkways and new gazebos, and the list goes on and on.

This was a trip of History overload!  The cruise line assisted us in processing it all with a 4 part series from the History Channel “Russia-Land of the Tsars” shown over 4 days while sailing.  Other activities on board included a Russian Language Survival Course followed by a Russian singing class, an on-hands Pelmeni and Blini cooking class, Vodka tasting class and on the final day a Quiz “What do you know about Russia”.

St.Petersburg- the Venice of the North. It’s comprised of 42 islands connected by many canals and bridges.  Again the affect of the renaissance is apparent all around the city center. Under law the facades of buildings cannot be changed so they are being gutted. The city escaped destruction during the war; it was surrounded and the population was starved to death.  This is a vibrant city, so full of life and never shutting down at night. With so many things to see:  The Hermitage, The Savior on the Split Blood, the Peter and Paul fortress, St. Isaac’s Cathedral and a hydrofoil trip to Peterhof.  And brides, brides everywhere.

Russia and its people exceeded my expectations.  I arrived having no idea that the reconstruction would be so vast and people not as reserved as anticipated.   And the Brides, well it is the custom to marry, go to sign the registry and tour the city in wedding attire taking pictures at all of the important monuments!