Russia
 |
| St Petersburg |
A two day stopover in St.Petersburg back in 2003 whet my appetite to visit more of Russia, and so this
summer old family friend Cynthia Gordan and I went on the 10-day Smartours “Cruise
of the Czars.” The trip started in
Moscow, went north on the Moscow Canal, continued north on the Volga River into
Lake Onega, turned southwest on the Svir River, and finally crossed Lake Ladoga
to St. Petersburg. On the way, we went
through 18 locks – the first was an exciting event witnessed by all passengers
as the water level dropped by 10 meters; by the end of the trip we were
completely blasé and would continue whatever we were doing as the lock filled
with water.
The banks of the rivers
were endlessly riveting – scenic towns, attractive dachas (much to my
amazement, we were told that 80% of the Russians have a vacation house), and quaint
churches. Our vessel was the 154-passenger MS Vasily Surikov. part of the
Russian-run Mosturflot fleet. Twenty-four convivial people comprised the
Smartours group, several other tour groups from all around the world made up
the rest. Quarters were adequate though tight; the food absolutely delicious (4
course Russian-inspired lunches and dinners that magically seemed to have no
calories); the activities fun and interesting, and our guide Galya a real
pro. The one draw-back was that the
small size of the boat prevented us from crossing Lake Ladoga (Europe’s largest
lake) during inclement weather and so we lost a day in St. Petersburg. My advice
would be to go from St. Petersburg to Moscow, so if you lose a day at least
you’re spending it in St. Petersburg!
The trip was full of
surprises – I think we all came to Russia with pre-conceived notions that were
shattered over the course of the 10 days.
For starters – the country is incredibly clean. There is very little trash anywhere.
Architecture isn’t at all the drab Soviet cement block style I’d expected but
rather tends to the Neo-Classical and Baroque – and is brightly hued. Churches (for
the most part, colorful Russian Orthodox onion-domed structures) are everywhere
– no one was expecting this to be a church tour. There’s lots of new construction going up –
especially of churches. And flowers flourish profligately.
The streets bustle and
people have a purposeful air about them.
However, the cities are also full of parks, where the populace goes to
chill out. Your basic woman-in-the-street is stylishly dressed, well-coiffed
and manicured. In short – the feel of
the cities was familiar – similar to that in large U.S. cities. People couldn’t
have been nicer, often stopping to offer help to tourists confounded by the
Cyrillic lettering on signs. Capitalism
and democracy have come at a cost – many people, particularly the elderly, miss
the security offered by Communism. KGB
jokes are common, as are bitter references to the widespread corruption that
has drained the economy. Putin appears to be viewed as the best of a bad lot.
Moscow is absolutely beautiful. Red Square is huge, ringed by magnificent
buildings on 3 sides and the Kremlin wall on the fourth. St. Basil’s is a marvel – photos just don’t
do justice to how vibrantly colored it is.
The interior is a fresco and icon-decorated labyrinth. Here we were treated to the first of
what turned out to be the many a cappella concerts we would hear on this trip. GUM Department Store has to be seen to be believed
– a vast 19th century arcade filled with the very best boutiques –
everything from Tiffany’s to Louis Vuitton.
Hint: there is also a very nice
bathroom up on the third floor. Inside
the Kremlin, Cathedral Square is a knock-out – seven churches in total, each
sporting a different style of onion dome.
The Armory was mind-boggling, exhibiting over-the-top royal jewelry,
carriages, tableware, clothing, and Faberge eggs.
The famous subway stations
live up to their reputation –underground marble caverns, lit by a variety of
ornate chandeliers and richly adorned with everything from mosaics to bronze
reliefs to stained glass and lavish curly-cue molding. We visited Tretyakov Gallery and became acquainted
with Russian art history. We were lucky enough to be in The Cathedral of Christ
the Savior, rebuilt in 2004, during a service – the solemn chanting was hauntingly
lovely.
An architectural style
known as “Stalinesque Gothic” can be seen throughout Moscow, but many unusual
skyscrapers are also rapidly being built, particularly in the new financial
district known as “Moscow City.” I’ve
never seen such wide streets, and traffic can be horrendous. We went on a late-night tour (it doesn’t get
dark until 11:00 pm in July!) – many of the monuments and buildings take on a fairy-tale
appearance when lit up. The reflection
of the Novodevichy Convent in a nearby lake was particularly memorable. Here we were treated to the first of what
turned out to be the many vodka toasts we would make on this trip.
Uglich, a small, charming
village with a tiny Kremlin of its own, was our next port of call. More wonderful churches! Here we were treated
to the first of what turned out to be many Russian box painting demonstrations
we would see on this trip.
From there, we took a
slight detour to Yaroslavl, a large university city of 600,000. Yarolavl boasts the fascinating Spaso-Preobrazhensky
Monastery complex (where we were treated to the first of what turned out to be the
many bell concerts we would hear on this trip), the newly rebuilt (2010)
Assumption Cathedral, and the 17th century Church of Elijah the
Prophet, renowned for the frescos which cover every possible square inch of
interior wall space. We took a short stroll along the Volga
Embankment and later stopped by the town square to see the bizarre garden
displays. Cynthia and I also hunted down
the State University, where her daughter Rebecca had spent time during
college.
Next stop was Goritsy,
where Cynthia and I joined a tour of the 14th century
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, a picturesque sprawling complex associated with
Ivan the Terrible. Several churches, bell-towers, and galleries
of monks’ cells are contained within the defensive walls. We had little time left afterwards to visit
the associated convent, which is enchantingly decrepit. The village of Goritsy itself is a delight –
many of the small wooden houses with gingerbread trim are painted in bright shades
ranging from yellow to pink to turquoise.
Kizhi was a favorite of
many of us. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of a core of original
wooden buildings to which assorted imported wooden buildings from other
locations have been added. Here can be
found the famous Transfiguration Church – an amazing structure made without
nails with 22 domes covered in aspen shingles that have weathered to an
exquisite silvery grey. Typical for this
trip – that day the weather started out with gorgeous blue skies but by late
afternoon had turned quite nasty, so we got to see this masterpiece in a
variety of weather conditions.
Our
penultimate destination was Mandrogi, a total tourist trap in which you get to see
a number of different craftspeople plying their trades. I do have to confess – this was a great place
to shop and several of us bought quite a lot of unique handmade treasures. Unfortunately, this is where we were stuck
for an extra day while waiting for the weather to clear on Lake Ladoga. How many matryoshka dolls can you watch being
painted before completely losing your mind???
We
finally reached St. Petersburg late in the next afternoon. Cynthia and I passed up the Cossack Show
optional tour and instead appended ourselves to the Spanish group’s night-time
bus tour of the city. We returned to many of the same sites the next day on our
own group’s bus tour. What a stunning city St. Petersburg is! Peter the Great
founded his new capital city in 1703, emulating western European capitals. The city is full of huge, opulent, colorful palaces
and administration buildings lining the banks of a series of scenic canals.
Most of the many Russian Orthodox churches look European on the exterior, but
the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (which marks the spot on which
Alexander II was assassinated) is a magnificent example of medieval Russian
revival architecture – flamboyant onion domes on the outside, glittering
mosaics covering the entire inside.
Peter
and Paul Fortress is another site well worth visiting. Here, in the spectacular
Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, are the tombs of most Russian tsars from
Peter the Great to Nicholas II and his family.
The golden spires of this cathedral are a beloved sight in St.
Petersburg.
We
spent an afternoon in the Hermitage, which was JAMMED. There were times you
literally couldn’t move. Part of the
Hermitage is in the Winter Palace, so when you are at the museum you get to see
not only the galleries but also the staterooms (some of which are, in fact, also
galleries). It is incredibly luxurious in the style of a typical 18th
century royal residence – i.e., lots of gilt, intricate moldings, inlaid
floors, elaborate mosaics, and amazing chandeliers (think Versailles.). The
collection, founded by Catherine the Great, is not only vast but also one of
the world’s best.
There
was time for a brief stroll and window shopping along Nevsky Propekt before
dinner. This was our final night, and what better way to spend it than at the
ballet? We were fortunate in that a
production of Swan Lake (aimed largely at tourists, I suspect, since the very best
companies don’t perform during the summer) was being offered at the
Alexandrinsky Theater. The theater
building itself is one of St. Petersburg’s most historic. While not up to
Russian standards, this version of Swan Lake was by far the best I’d ever seen.
The trips over
and back were brutal – too tight a connection on the way over and too much time
between flights on the way back made for two very long days of travel.
We arrived
exhausted and returned exhausted, but it was all well worth it.
Mimi Santini-Ritt 2013