Russia Revealed: Moscow to St. Petersburg (2012)

Depart the U.S. today on your flight to Moscow.

 

Arrive in Moscow on Day 2, where you'll be greeted at the airport by a Grand Circle representative and transferred to your ship to meet your Program Director, who will be by your side for the remainder of the trip.

You have the balance of the day to relax after your overseas flight. Tonight, you’ll enjoy dinner onboard.

Set out this morning to explore Russia’s modern capital on an included tour. Your discoveries begin in the heart of the city, Krasnaya Ploshchad, known in English as Red Square.

 

In the 16th century, krasny meant "beautiful," but its meaning changed over centuries to mean "red." Red Square does not refer to communism but rather to the beauty of the city square. In the 16th century, the square became a place for state ceremonies, where they have been held ever since. During your tour, you'll get a true flavor of life in Moscow, as you join the bustle under the streets during a ride on Moscow's Metro, considered one of the best subway systems in the world.

A Metro ride takes you to the Arbat, a popular pedestrian district with boutiques and galleries, where you'll enjoy free time and lunch on your own. Return to your ship around mid-afternoon, and enjoy some time at leisure.

Celebrate your first taste of Russia and get acquainted with your traveling companions over an onboard dinner tonight.

On this morning’s included excursion, you’ll see the expansive view of Moscow from the vantage point of Sparrow Hills, formerly called the Lenin Hills. These hills overlook the city from a steep bank on the south side of the Moskva River and give you a view of the famed Moscow State University, one of the scientific centers of Russia. You will pass by the gleaming Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a distinctive structure that is an integral part of the Moscow skyline, as it is visible from so many points in the city center. Reconstructed in the 1990s, it is the largest church in Russia. You also visit Novodevichy (New Maiden) Cemetery, where Russian luminaries such as writers Anton Chekhov and Nikolai Gogol, and former president Boris Yeltsin are buried.

After lunch onboard, you’ll meet with Russian WWII veterans, who will gladly tell you about their war experiences and answer your questions.

 

This evening, enjoy an included dinner onboard and an excursion to the Moscow Circus. This artful performance has enjoyed international acclaim for many years. The Circus showcases trained animals, daring acrobatic feats, and the stunning precision and horsemanship of the Cossack Riders. You’ll also see the art of juggling, along with the humor and merriment that are unique to a circus atmosphere.

After breakfast, you’ll tour the Kremlin, probably the most recognized icon of the mystery and intrigue of the former Soviet Union. It is actually a walled city built as a fortification and ringed all around by 15th-century towers. As you’ll see, the Kremlin is the very heart of Moscow, with the city’s streets radiating outward in circles and the Kremlin standing as the focal point of the inner ring.

 

Construction of the Kremlin began in the twelfth century on the small Borovitsky Hill (translated as Pine Grove Hill, reflecting the stands of evergreens that used to line it) along the north bank of the Moscow River. Almost every ruler of consequence since then has directed construction in the Kremlin, so it is a wonderful collection of widely varying architectural styles. The citadel is surrounded by a mile of red brick walls 65 feet high and up to 20 feet thick. Along these are battlements and gated entryways interspersed with 20 towers, the tallest standing 264 feet high. Most visitors enter the ancient Kremlin grounds through Kutafya Tower. In addition to housing the seat of government, there are numerous museums and six cathedrals (one of which we visit) within the walls. The Kremlin not only represented the political power of the country from tsars to Soviet prime ministers, but in earlier centuries it was also the religious heart of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Our exploration of the Kremlin includes a tour of the State Armory, the oldest museum in Russia. Some of the Armory collection housed here dates to the 16th century and was originally stored in a stone chamber. In the 1840s, this Russo-Byzantine building was designed to protect the Kremlin’s collection of valuable weaponry, jewels, and ceremonial robes and articles.

The museum’s collection has grown, and you will be able to see historic armor (Russian and foreign), royal thrones covered with thin plates of gold and studded with diamonds, imperial carriages, coronation robes, and the wedding dress of Catherine the Great. Some of the world-famous Faberge eggs, created by Carl Faberge, the jeweler to the tsars of Russia, are on display, as well as ornate twelfth-century decorations of Russian gold and silver, Russian weaponry in jewel-studded cases, battle-axes, sabers, and lavish equestrian harnesses and saddles. Here are the vestments of the tsars—priceless silks, velvets, and brocades, encrusted with jewels and pearls.

Enjoy a late lunch at a local restaurant before we return to the ship.

The evening is free, with dinner onboard.

Or, join us after dinner for an optional excursion to a thrilling show by Kostroma, a professional dance ensemble. They will perform stylized folk dances of Russians, Ukrainians, Cossacks, and other nationalities that inhabit the Russian Federation. This colorful show features 50 dancers on stage and 17 costume changes. The ensemble has toured the world with this show to great acclaim. Please note: May-early June and late September-October departures offer an optional tour featuring the Zlatoust Singers rather than the optional National Russian Show.

The morning and early afternoon are free for you to discover historic sites independently, revisit favorite haunts, and browse local galleries and shops.

Perhaps you'll elect to join one of today's optional tours.

In your first optional tour, you’ll spend the morning tracing the history of Jewish life in Moscow. During visits to the Memorial Synagogue—which includes the Holocaust and Jewish Heritage Museums—as well as the Grand Choral Synagogue, you’ll learn about the historic challenges faced by Russian Jews, from the era they were banned from the city, through Tsarist oppression, the Holocaust, and the Stalin era.

Or, tour the Tretyakov Gallery in Zamoskvorechye, one of the oldest districts in Moscow, just a stone’s throw from the Kremlin. As the National Museum of Russian Fine Art, the Tretyakov Gallery features a collection of more than 130,000 paintings, sculptures, and graphics from Russian artists dating from the eleventh to the 20th centuries. You’ll view paintings by Repin, Levitsky, and more.

Enjoy lunch onboard today.

Be sure to be back onboard as we set sail for Uglich. En route this evening, we’ll enjoy a Captain’s Welcome Cocktail and Welcome Dinner.

This morning, you'll cruise along the river Russians affectionately call the Matushka ("Dear Little Mother") Volga. It's a contradictory name, for this is the greatest river in Europe, twisting, meandering, and flowing from the Valday Hills to the Caspian Sea for almost 2,500 miles, draining an area of a million square miles, and linking five oceans and seas to Moscow through its canals.

Every day, you'll learn about the upcoming port of call during a "port talk." Today's port talk focuses on Uglich. Then, enjoy a Discovery Series discussion of Russian handcrafts, and learn about the skills and creations of Russian artisans, and then gather for lunch.

 

Arrive and dock in Uglich and go ashore for a walking tour of this historic town. Here you have entered the region around Moscow called the Golden Ring, an arc of cities where magnificent pieces of Russia's past have been preserved.

Uglich, with its many medieval buildings, is an impressive site when seen from the Volga or when walking its ancient streets. The town dates from the tenth century and was used by Ivan IV (the legendary Ivan the Terrible) in the 16th century as a base for his attacks against the Tatars.

The Uglich fortress, or Kremlin as it is called, is on the bank of the Volga River and includes impressive churches. The town's long history is reflected in these ancient buildings within the Kremlin. One of the most massive structures is the Cathedral of Transfiguration, built from 1700 to 1713.

The striking Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood, with its red walls and blue domes that appear as you sail into Uglich, dates from around 1690. It was built and named to honor the spot where Prince Dmitri, the youngest son of Ivan IV, died in the late 16th century. An aura of mystery still surrounds the exact circumstances of his death—you can decide for yourself whether he was murdered when you hear the story.

The center of the town also features architectural landmarks, as well as offering a glimpse of the unique charm of this Russian province. The streets are wide and offer views of churches with distinctive domes and belfries.

It's all aboard this evening, as you return to the ship for a Discovery Series lesson on the essentials of the Russian language, followed by some insights into Russian history during an onboard discussion with your Program Directors. Then savor a relaxing dinner of Russian specialties.

This morning, enjoy a discussion with your Program Directors on modern Russian history, from communism to today, as you cruise to Goritsy.

Later, join an included afternoon tour of Goritsy’s Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, built in 1397 by St. Kirill, who left a life of luxury to become closer to God. Interestingly, by the 16th century, the monastery was the second-richest landowner in Russia and had close connections to ruler Ivan the Terrible. You’ll tour the vast walled area of the monastery, featuring two priories and eleven churches, most of them dating to the 16th century. The monastery walls, 732 meters long and seven meters thick, were constructed between1654 and 1680 to hold off Lithuanian invaders. They incorporate parts of the earlier citadel, which helped to withstand the Polish siege of 1612. Its walls feature numerous towers, each built to aunique design. You’ll also view the monastery’s impressive collection of Russian Orthodox icons, stylized paintings of Christian religious figures.

Or, enjoy time at leisure.

This afternoon as we sail for Kizhi Island, you can learn how matryoshka—Russia’s famous nesting dolls—are painted and perhaps try your hand at it yourself. Then join a Discovery Series presentation on the beverage that has been integral to the Russian culture for over 600 years: vodka. Distilled even before it was named vodka (from the Russian word voda, or water), vodka was once believed to be a miracle-working medicine. Learn the remarkable history of vodka—including Russia’s own Prohibition era—and sample some for yourself.

This morning, you’ll enjoy a port talk on today’s destination, Kizhi Island. Plus, depending on the sailing schedule, the Captain may invite you for a visit to the ship’s bridge. Then join a Discovery Series cooking class on pelmeni, a dumpling similar to Polish pierogi. The meat- or vegetable-filled pelmeni were originally popular with hunters looking for easy-to-prepare, nourishing food to take with them on long hunting trips in the winter. Today, the dumplings are a Russian national dish. Cook and sample your tasty creations. You'll also have the opportunity to learn some secrets of Russian cake decorating.

After lunch, enjoy some time at leisure, then join an onboard Discovery Series blini party, and learn the art of creating blinis, a small Russian pancake that is served with sour cream. You’ll learn its history and have a chance to make your own. We celebrate this regional dish by consuming our homemade blinis during the party.

Late this afternoon, your ship docks at Kizhi Island in the middle of Lake Onega, one of the most ancient inhabited sites in Russia. It was an early pagan center, and now hosts an open-air architectural museum and reserve.

You’ll visit the museum, opened to visitors in 1966 and offering an array of architectural monuments. More than 80 wooden monuments represent folk wooden architecture, ancient Russian pictorial art, and cultural items of the region’s various ethnic groups. The museum’s precious collection includes many wooden churches and chapels brought from other parts of the Russian north.

Here you view the Church of the Transfiguration, with its 22 timbered onion domes. A donation from Grand Circle Foundation to the World Monuments Fund helped to maintain and protect this treasure. You then have some free time to do a little exploring of Kizhi Island on your own.

Return to the ship this evening to savor a dinner onboard.

Continue your discoveries today with a tour of the port city of Petrozavodsk, the industrial, cultural, and scientific center of the Republic of Karelia. Here you’ll see the monument to Peter I, considered to be the founder of Petrozavodsk, whose order was responsible for the first Russian cannon factory. Learn more about the Soviet period by touring Kirov Square, Gagarin Square, and Lenin Square, and stop at the World War II memorial of the eternal flame in the latter.

Return to the ship in time to relax over lunch. Later, you may choose to join us for an optional Karelian Folk Show, at which we’ll enjoy the national music and costume of the Karelia Republic—the northern region of Russia known for its pristine lakes, thick forests, and frigid climate. Listen to traditional songs with verses in the Russian, Finnish, and Karelian languages.

Or, enjoy time at leisure to either continue your explorations in Petrozavodsk or relax on the ship. Your ship sets sail again and continues cruising the Svir River overnight, headed for Ladoga Lake.

Later, we'll reunite for dinner onboard.

As we sail alongside the fringed riverbanks of the Svir River this morning, you’ll understand why the region abounds with so much wooden architecture. You’ll arrive in Svir Stroi, a remote village on the Svir River, 280 miles north of St. Petersburg, halfway between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. The town is known for the children’s orphanage located here.

You might inquire about it during your special Discovery Series visit to the home of a local family. Along with a warm welcome and stimulating conversation, you’ll enjoy authentic Russian tea and another specialty of the region: piroshki. From the Russian for “peer feast,” piroshki are pastries with such fillings as cabbage, chicken, fish, fruit, beef or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy your last full afternoon of cruising as your ship courses toward our last port-of-call, St. Petersburg. Along the way, you can learn everything you've always wanted to know about the USSR and Russia during a candid discussion with your Program Directors.

In the evening, join your travel companions and the Captain of your river cruise ship at the Captain’s Reception to celebrate your voyage. Afterwards, share your discoveries along the river over the Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner.

St. Petersburg, founded as the new capital of the Russian Empire more than 300 years ago, was the vision and creation of Tsar Peter the Great, who named it after his patron saint, Peter. This beautiful showcase of a city, covering 150 square miles, is a synthesis of both European and Russian styles, with elements of both East and West. Pushkin called this city “Peter the Great’s Window to the West.” Known today as the Venice of the North, St. Petersburg has more than 40 picturesque islands, more than 60 canals, and hundreds of lovely bridges, and it is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

This morning, you’ll visit the chief monument to Peter the Great’s reign, the Peter and Paul Fortress. On May 27, 1703 (considered the city’s birthdate), Peter the Great laid the foundations of the fortress on an island in the Neva River to protect the city and Russia’s access to the sea from the Swedish armies during the Northern Wars. Within the fortress is St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, whose lovely spire is topped by a golden angel holding a cross. This figure is the symbol of the city. Peter the Great and all the Russian emperors and empresses are buried here, and the Cathedral made headlines when the remains of the last Romanov family (Nicholas, Alexandra, and their children) were laid to rest here.

After an included lunch at a local restaurant, you can choose to set out on an optional excursion to the magnificent summer residence of the Russian royalty at Peterhof. In 1714, Peter the Great asked for a “Versailles by the Sea.” The site evolved into a grand palace atop the hill, surrounded by a park, as well as several other smaller palaces. We visit Catherine’s Wing, one of the small palaces, and have a chance to view the many fountains on the grounds. You’ll see the palace’s remarkable Grand Cascade. This is an extraordinary fountain ensemble made up of three waterfalls, nearly 150 fountains shooting more than 2,000 jets of water, and a myriad of statues and sculptures. Its waterworks, after more than 250 years, continue to operate over 13 miles without pumps, relying on a system of gravity. Please note: The Peterhof fountains are not in operation on certain April and October departures.

Enjoy dinner onboard this evening. After dinner, enjoy a presentation on traditional Russian fairy tales.

After breakfast, enjoy a panoramic tour of St. Petersburg. St. Isaac’s Cathedral is a highlight. This is the largest church in the city, built originally to be the main church of the Russian Empire. The dome of the cathedral, which dominates the city’s skyline, is gilded with more than 200 pounds of gold, and the interior is elaborately decorated with exquisite mosaics, icons, malachite, and lapis lazuli. This grand church can seat 14,000 worshippers. Although the church was closed after the 1917 Revolution, it reopened as a museum in 1931, and services for worshippers were again introduced in 1990.

 

As part of our tour, you’ll also view the Admiralty, former shipyards, and the present Naval Academy on the banks of the Neva River, showcasing the might of the Russian navy. Other highlights include Palace Square (showcasing the beautifully Baroque Winter Palace, General Staff Building, and Alexander Column), St. Petersburg University, and the Bronze Horseman, a striking monument to Peter the Great.

This afternoon, after a light lunch in a local restaurant, you continue exploring St. Petersburg, with an included visit to the Hermitage. Formerly the Winter Palace and home of the tsars, today this is one of the most splendid museums in the world. Built by the Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, the palace became part of the Hermitage Museum, originated in 1764 when Catherine the Great began her private art collection. Today, more than 1,000 rooms house nearly three million exhibits and displays representing some of the world’s greatest art.

The staggering collection of art and paintings ranges from ancient Egypt to early 20th-century Europe, and is set in a complex of buildings magnificently and lavishly adorned with gold leaf, malachite, jasper, agate, and marble. Marvel at masterpieces by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, a full range of French Impressionists, Van Gogh, Rodin, and many more of the world’s great artists. After your visit to the Hermitage, return to your ship in the afternoon.

Tonight, enjoy dinner onboard your ship.

You have the morning at leisure to explore as you wish—browse some shops, visit monuments, and learn more about Russia's rich culture, or sip coffee at a cafe and watch the life of St. Petersburg all around you.

Or, join us on an optional tour of the splendid Yusupov Palace, once owned by one of the wealthiest families in Russia. The 19th-century Palace stands on the embankment of the Moyka River, beyond the "Bridge of Kisses." Built by Vallin de la Mothe in 1760, the palace's claim to fame is as the place where Prince Yusupov murdered Grigory Rasputin, the most controversial figure in Russian history, in 1916. Here you'll see where it all took place, as you browse rooms that have been restored to evoke the eerie atmosphere of the night of the murder. Another palace highlight is its magnificent private theater, one of the most beautiful of its kind in all of Europe.

Explore on your own this afternoon—perhaps using the most popular means of local transport: the subway. You may want to visit the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood. This important landmark was created as a memorial on the exact site where a terrorist named Grinevitsky, from the revolutionary organization People's Will, mortally wounded Tsar Alexander II, despite his reforms, on March 1, 1881, by tossing a bomb at his feet. The church was modeled after St. Basil's in Moscow's Red Square. It took 24 years to build and 27 years to restore. It has a mind-boggling 75,320 square feet of mosaics. And there is always more to see at the Hermitage.

Tonight, enjoy the sights of the city at your own pace, as well as an included dinner onboard the ship.

Or, join us for an optional Evening at the Russian Ballet in a centrally located theater. At the time you purchase this optional program, your Program Director will advise you of the ballet performance that you will be attending this evening.

Early this morning, come with us on a visit to one of the great Tsarist palaces, a royal retreat just 15 miles outside St. Petersburg. Named for Peter the Great's wife Catherine the First, the palace was enlarged and redecorated by his daughter Elizabeth as one of the most striking examples of Russian Baroque architecture.

The original palace was heavily damaged during the Second World War, and the restored building that stands today is said to be the finest replica in the world. Its grandiose facade stretches 978 feet and glitters in all its former glory, with elegant white columns and ornate gold moldings set against a background of brilliant blue sky.

The gem of the palace is the famous Amber Room, opened to the public after the restoration in 2003 during the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The room is a unique example of decorative art.

You'll also enjoy a short tour of the elaborate gardens that surround the palace, which were originally laid out as a private park for the royal family.

After an included lunch, during months when school is in session, you visit the St. Petersburg Music Boarding School, a facility partly supported by grants from the charitable Grand Circle Foundation. The Russian children will meet you with their smiles, and they'll be curious and open to conversation with you, eager to show their knowledge of English. If you plan your trip during May-early June or September-October, you might consider bringing a souvenir from your hometown for the children. The school is closed for summer vacation from the middle of June through the beginning of September, so we cannot make this visit during the summer months. If you are traveling during this period, your afternoon is at leisure.

Be sure to bring a pencil and paper to tonight's dinner, so you can capture the e-mail addresses of your fellow travelers.

After breakfast, you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.