St. Petersburg to Moscow on the M.S. Tolstoy, AMA Waterways was quite an experience.
Our journey started with 3 nights in St. Petersburg. Formerly called Leningrad, St. Petersburg is home to many museums, galleries, palaces, impressive squares and the famous Imperial Estate – Peterhof (see photo). Fountains in the gardens of Peterhof Palace numbered over 100 and none of them uses a pump for the fountain. It was created allowing gravity to produce powerful fountain flow. We went to the Hermitage Musuem with it’s incredible collection and attended a ballet at the Museum Theatre. The next day we were at St. Isaac’s Cathedral which was constructed over 40 years. Paintings and gemstones decorated the walls of this cathedral.the elaborate paintings and gemstone walls, not to mention the way it was constructed, and the history behind. Then there was the visit to Spilled Blood Church (see photo) which is as colorful inside as it is outside, decorated with tiny mosaics from floor to ceiling including the ceiling itself – amazing!
Following St. Petersburg, we journeyed through:
Mandrogui – a quaint village with a vodka museum.
Kizhi Island – home to the most amazing wooden architecture in Russia.
Goritzy – a peaceful farming town where we visited a Monastery and the Museum of Icons.
Yaroslavl – one of my favorites, is one of Russia’s oldest cities. Just about everywhere you looked, you would see a church, fine architecture and the 12th century Transfiguration Monastery. Incredible views from the top of the hill.
Kostroma – located on the left banks of the Volga River, known as the Golden Ring city is as old as Moscow. Very picturesque and was a source of inspiration for many Russian artists.
Uglich – located on the banks of the Volga River, was founded by merchants in 1148.
We arrived in Moscow where we stayed for 2 nights, visiting the capital city with the Red Square, St. Basils Cathedral, the Lubyanka Square (KGB Building), the Kremlin, the Armory Museum (Russia’s oldest museum which houses a wide collection of treasures, including jewels, crowns, unbelievable Faberge Eggs, royal carriages and so much more.
An interesting outing arranged by AMA Waterways was breakfast with local families in their village homes. Gracious hosts with limited English served us a typical Russian breakfast which started with a shot (or two) of cognac. Needless to say, everyone was high and happy by the time breakfast was over.
Russia is indeed beautiful in September with the foliage and the amazing sceneries.
The M/S Tolstoy went through 17 locks which was an experience in itself (the ship entered each lock and was either raised or lowered depending on the sea level, by raising the water level or lowering it, to allow the ship to move forward and out of the lock). We went from 1.5 meters above sea level to 161.75 meters above sea level, mostly going upwards with the occasional downward travel.
Onboard the ship, we were treated to lectures on Russia Today, Culture, Cooking, music, lacquer boxes, amber, and an art class that allowed us to paint our own Matrioshka doll(s).
There definitely is something to be said about river cruises with less than 200 passengers. By the 3rd day, you feel like you are one big family cruising together.
I would be remiss if I didn’t make special mention about the staff and crew - from the cabin staff to the Captain, they were just absolutely wonderful, all wanting to make the experience not just comfortable but also enjoyable.
I am currently working on getting a group together for a September 2009 Russia river cruise on the AMA Waterways. I have chosen the month of September because it tends to be a bit less crowded and the beauty of nature’s colors in the fall is a sight to see as you go along the riverbanks and indeed very relaxing.
The months of June and July are busy months and going into the tour sites can be horrendous with lots of waiting in lines to get into the museums, palaces, cathedrals and other sites.
I shall escort this group cruise in September of 2009 and look forward to be sharing with you, what I have learned going to Russia twice this year.