Russia. Land of the Tsars, Communism and the largest country on our planet. We made the decision to join our friends Bill and Sandy Flank (who live in Chappaqua, NY) on a Uniworld two-week riverboat tour during July, 2006. The riverboat tour was to begin in St. Petersburg and travel the waterways of northwestern Russia to Moscow.
Our flight to Russia was on an Air France plane leaving from LAX.
The flight left California, passed over the northern Midwest USA, across eastern Canada, over Greenland and down into Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris. We were served dinner and, if you want to eat well on an airplane, Air France is the way to travel. The French do love their meals so the food in coach was well prepared and served with wine and baguettes. Upon reaching Paris we found the airport to be small and busy, not well air-conditioned, and with very few areas equipped with seats.
After a short wait we boarded a second Air France plane for the trip to St. Petersburg.
We were met by a Uniworld representative at the airport and transported to the m/s Yesesin, our floating hotel for the next two weeks. It was moored, along with numerous other riverboats, on the Neva River. We checked into our cabin at 11:30 p.m. after having traveled for 18 hours. Since we had arrived in the land of "White Nights" (meaning that we were so far north that, during mid-summer, it did not get fully dark at night) it was still light outside, but sleep came very quickly.
The Yesenin is one of the smaller river craft that is used for touring.
It was built in 1984 and refurbished in 2002. There were 74 people on our tour, most of them from the USA, with the majority of the others coming from Canada. The ship has two lounges located on the upper deck level (where our cabin was located), the one forward for quiet reading or watching TV, the one aft (the Main Lounge) for nightly entertainment and includes a bar. The restaurant was found on the main deck level at the stern end of the boat. The Forward Lounge had a panoramic sweep of windows so one could sit comfortably indoors and watch the passing scenery; both the Main Lounge and the restaurant have large windows down both sides. The boat's staff spoke limited English but the Uniworld staff was fluent in our language. There were three main persons: Inna, the Cruise Director, and Helen and Lara her assistants.
We were up for breakfast and met Bill and Sandy. The morning itinerary was a trip to the Summer Palace of Catherine The Great. Built in the mid-1700's it is located in an area now named Pushkin (after the poet - originally the area was called Tsar's Village)) and construction was started by the Empress Elizabeth (second wife of Peter the Great) and continued by Catherine. The tour group loaded into two coaches, each with a Uniworld staff member and two local guides. The guides spoke about the palace as we traveled to Pushkin and then, once there, each coach was broken up into two smaller groups which traveled with one of the guides.
The palace is an extraordinary sight of blue and gold. We arrived just before opening time and joined the queue waiting to get in. While in line we were serenaded by a brass band playing various American and Russian songs. A prime example (our first) of a Romanesque palace with extraordinary amounts of gold leaf applied inside and out. It was designed to rival Versailles in Paris and is enormous. It serves as a beautiful example of the Russian Baroque architectural style. The sky blue-color combined with the white columns and the extensive gilding creates a real sense of majesty.
Upon entering all visitors are asked to place coverings over one's shoes so the parquet inlaid floors do not become marred. Gaudy! All of the gilt and the collection of 16th - 19th century art made us ponder the incredible expense that the building of such an edifice took from the Russian treasury.
The "Amber Room" was a most unique place to view. All of the walls were created out of pieces of amber.
[ click picture for larger view]
Back to the ship for lunch and then a bus tour of St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg is a beautiful city. When Peter attained the throne and assumed the title of "Tsar" in the late 1600's he resolved to bring traditionalist Russia into the "modern" world of the day. He traveled widely throughout Europe and became determined to create a modern navy as well as build palaces and change customs and dress. Towards that end, once the Russian army had recaptured the land along the Gulf of Finland, Peter decided that the place where the River Neva met the Gulf was an ideal place for his city and naval base. In 1703 a fortress was built and the City of St. Petersburg was begun. In 1710 the Capital of Russia was moved to the new city. Peter the Great conceived the idea for a city with a well-designed layout on 44 islands. Today the city covers both banks of the Neva with numerous canals and boasts a population of nearly 5 million. The river is fairly wide and deep so it acts a major transportation highway. More than 500 bridges (both pedestrian and automobile) connect the islands.
Our bus drove alongside the Neva River
The palace is surrounded by beautiful 18th and 19th century gardens.
and we could see square-rigged ships moored along the riverbanks but, when we inquired about them, were told that they were purpose-built restaurants. One was a floating health club!
We toured the central area of the Nevsky Prospect ('prospect' meaning 'district') looking at the Peter & Paul Fortress that is the oldest building in the city and served as a political prison (Dostoevsky, Gorky, and Trotsky were prisoners at one time or another),
and around the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum, the Admiralty Building, numerous churches and monuments and historic buildings.
The coach stopped at various places where we could walk about and take pictures (and make note of where we wanted to return to do further exploration at a later time). The Russian Orthodox churches are spectacular with their typical onion-shaped domes covered with gold, paintings and mosaics and the typical Russian architecture - lots of churches!
Among the places we stopped was The Church of The Spilled Blood built upon the spot where Tsar Alexander II was murdered in1881. The church displays over 7000 sq. meters of mosaics. Russian history tells us that it did not pay to be a Tsar; most of them did not die in their beds…
After dinner on the ship we attended a ballet (Giselle) at the Hermitage Theater, another ornate edifice. As we left the theater the fountain in the Neva was 'dancing' to broadcast music.
We saw the Aurora, the WW1 cruiser whose crew mutinied and helped begin the Communist Revolution in 1917,
and a picturesque fountain in the middle of the Neva River by the Hermatage Museum.
[ Click here to see a larger picture of the fountain. ]
The City was quiet with little traffic because the G-8 summit was being held in St. Petersburg at the same time we were there. Streets were closed and both police and military presences were visible.
It was also a weekend (Saturday) and we were told that 70% of the city dwellers leave the city on weekends for their "Dacha." This is a house outside of the main city. Today, as a result of the dissolution of the Communist system many more people can own a 'Dacha." Most of these, we soon learned by seeing them from our tour bus, are small - often run-down - houses, but they are away from the bustle, noise and pollution of the big city.
The next day we were off early to the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's great art galleries. It is set in the Winter Palace from which the Tsars ruled Russia for more than 150 years, plus several adjacent buildings. The present building dates from 1754 (the Baroque/Rococo period) and reflects the remodeling done by Catherine the Great in the Classical style. We were told that if a visitor spent 30 seconds in front of each art piece owned by the museum it would take 9 years to see them all!
We arrived before the official opening and were inside before the crowds. The group was again divided up into 4 smaller groups each with a local guide. We went up and down glorious staircases, through astounding rooms, viewed Rembrandt, Renoir, Matisse, Gauguin, Monet, Pizarro, Picasso…
After more than 3 hours we were ready for a rest so Sandy, Bill and we relaxed with a cup of coffee and a bit of cake at the Hermitage Café before beginning to wander the streets of St. Petersburg on our own. We walked across the city heading in the general direction of the Jewish Grand Chorale Synagogue. The streets remained mostly empty and we could see the typical housing in which the city dwellers live. Most were in some state of disrepair. The streets were, though, were rather clean.
We found the narrow Lions Chain Bridge (for pedestrian traffic), stepped into a local market for a look-in (everything was in a display case) wandered past the Rimsky-Korsakov Music Academy and Tchaikovsky's home, and finally found ourselves at the synagogue, a most interesting building. It had been restored through US donations and had, in a display case, pages from a 1497 bible.
On our way back towards the city center we stopped for lunch in a Blini Kiosk (Russian fast-food). A Bilni is similar to a heavier Swedish pancake with your choice of a filling. The girl spoke no English and we virtually no Russian so we had a grand time. She took out and showed us various tubs of what was available for the filling and we pointed. We opted for ham & cheese while Bill and Sandy enjoyed a chocolate & banana blini.
After a bit more walking we stopped for a rest in a courtyard of the Music and Theater College. We stopped for a beer along the Nevskiy Prospect (the main tourist street of St. Petersburg) and 'people watched' before heading back to the Hermitage Square and catching the late coach back to the boat for dinner and an early sleep.
Up early the next morning for a coach ride out to the Peterhof, the palace built by Peter the Great on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. The planned route of the coach had to be changed because the G-8 representatives (including George Bush) were staying nearby and had enjoyed a gala dinner at the Peterhof the previous evening. We saw lots of police and army and all of the main roads were closed. As a result we got to see the off-road areas. First we saw the "Kruschievkies" - five-story housing built as 'temporary' after WWII and other surburban residential complexes. This is when we first saw 'Dachas' owned by the ordinary Russian middle-class citizen. Most were quite small and not well cared for. Many had built greenhouses on the property or on shared property for the growing of produce.
The Peterhof is a beautiful palace. Wonderful gardens with a tremendous number of spectacular fountains, all fed by a gravity system from mountains 14 miles away (the original system remains in place and is used today) located in English and French styled gardens.. A visit to Versailles by Peter in 1717 created in him the ambition to build a palace that would rival any of the other European monarch's. He employed more than 5,000 laborers, serfs, and soldiers and the palace was completed in nine years. The building was renovated in the Baroque style. We were taken through the building by our local guide and then we wandered the gardens and out to the Gulf of Finland until it was time to return to St. Petersburg.
While we were enjoying a shipboard lunch the Yesenin left its mooring and we started up the Neva River on our waterway trip to Moscow.
Our trip will encompass travelling over several Russian Rivers, two of the largest lakes in Europe, several resevoirs, the Volga-Baltic Canal and the Moscow Canal. It also called for passing through many locks..
Motoring up the Neva River we passed from urban-industrial, through suburban and into the rural area along the river. The river is a major freightway and we saw barges and boats full of cut timber and oil barges moving towards St. Petersburg. We soon saw why there were so many timber barges- the forest of this northwestern area of Russia is thick and appears endless. Timber is a major export for the country.
We followed the Neva into its source, Lake Lagoda, the largest lake in Europe with a 7,000 sq. mile area. Our itinerary called for a trip across the lake and as night came upon us (twilight began around 10:30 p.m.) the wind began to blow and we heard an announcement that any items that might fall should be placed on the floor. Our guidebook did say that the lake was known to be "moody." We went to the Lounge for some instruction in Russian Folk Dance but the boat was rolling so badly that Linda took a step and ended up across the dance floor.
We also were taught how to play Russian checkers - with clear and colored glasses of vodka instead of wooden pieces!
What a night! The ship rolled and yawed with the bow occasionally slamming down from being lifted by a wave with the sound reverberating throughout the ship. By morning, however, the storm had abated and we found ourselves motoring under cloudy skies in calm water. We later learned that the Russian Navigational Authorities had closed access to the lake after the Yesenin had passed onto the lake.
After leaving the lake we motored on the Svir River passing through locks. Each lock had a hydroelectric power generating plant built into it.
We arrived at the village of Mandrogi in mid-morning. The village had been destroyed during the Second World War but was reconstructed as a center used to illustrate the traditions and lifestyle of Russia's past. After mooring along the riverbank we left the boat and wandered about the town visiting a farm, watching a school being built, admiring the traditionally constructed houses (inhabited from Spring through Fall) and watching craftspeople at work.
50 craftsmen and their families from all over Russia come to spend the summer working and we had the chance to watch them, talk with a few, and -of course- look at souvenirs for purchase.
We enjoyed a luncheon on shore with entertainment provided by a local Russian folk group (quite enjoyable- we did buy a CD).
After a bit of wandering in the village it was back to the boat for a nap while we continued up the Svir.
That night the crew announced an 'emergency drill." Everyone had to don their lifejacket (located in the cabin) and stand in the corridor for inspection by the ship's officers.
It was a quiet night
and the next morning found us anchored in Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe.
It had become very foggy during the night and regulations do not allow navigation in certain areas of the lake due to natural underwater hazards. We were moving by breakfast time and cruised across the lake
until we first saw and then docked at Kizhi Island at the far end of the lake in an archipelago of islands. Kizhi is home to an outdoor museum of fascinating buildings representing northern Russian wooden architecture. The island is small and narrow and it is home to the remarkable Transfiguration Cathedral. Built in 1714 the church displays 22 separate cupolas that are sheathed in 30,000 wooden shingles made from aspen trees. The entire building is constructed without nails.
[click for detail]
Russian churches are filled with painted icons..
The cathedral dominates the island and proved to be the dominant landscape feature visible as we approached. Our local guide pointed out the traditional aspects of the architecture that can be found on buildings being built today in northern Russia. We visited farmhouses, where the family lived in the front area (heated by the stove - Russian folk tales talk about "sitting on the stove") and the animals in the rear (very severe winters!).
We were treated to a serenade of church bells and viewed the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus built in 1390, Russia's oldest surviving church. In one farm house we were treated to a demonstration of folk instruments by a young music student. On our way back to the boat we encountered our first rain shower while we were walking about.
The next morning was spent aboard ship. A "Guest Lecturer" was offering a series of lectures, but he turned out to be an old 'apparatchik " - a professor from Moscow State University who was deadly boring. We sat through his first and second lectures and resolved not to submit ourselves to his next ones. Bill and Jon took advantage of a chance to visit the ship's bridge while Linda and Sandy attended a Russian songs sing-along given by Helen.
After lunch the ship docked at Goritsky, a provincial town located on the Sheksna River, part of the Volga-Baltic Canal. We visited the "Cultural Center" where we were warmly greeted by Russian girls in native costumes singing a song of welcome.
While seated inside to partake of Russian pastries and sip tea from a samovar the girls demonstrated folk dances and invited (by coming over and taking our hands) us to join the dance - which we, of course, did. The group was then entertained by a couple of local performers, a guitarist and a singer. Both were quite good.
We stopped at a local pottery shop and then walked into the local, crumbling Monastery of the White Lake which was founded in 1397. In the late 17th century it was one of the largest religious and military centers of the Russian Empire but fell to ruin during the 18th century.
Monesteries also served as a fortress for the local population...
It houses a collection of Russian embroidery and samples of different decorative arts. In one section of the monastery we came upon what appeared to be a daycare for local children. They were being trained in the art of making traditional handicrafts and, in another room, children were playing traditional children's games. On the way back to the boat we met two young boys and gave each a Kennedy half-dollar. They were so tickled!
Back on the boat, moving up the canal, a film about Ivan the Terrible was shown (there was a film - usually from the Discovery Channel - offered every day in the late afternoon). At dinner Irene and Valentin sang and played songs for us (as they did each evening in the Lounge).
At this point we were just past the mid-point of our Rissian Rivers cruise.
We spent the morning on the boat and Linda attended Helen's Russian Language class. Lara came up to us and asked if we would be willing to act in the ship's "Gala" playing King Neptune and his wife. We said OK not knowing a thing about it other than is sounded like good fun. Rehearsal with Lara at noontime brought together about 15 "volunteers." After lunch Linda attended another Russian music sing-along with Helen and then a presentation of a film on the "Fall of the Russian Tsars" as the ship motored towards Yaroslavl.
In the 10th century the tribes living along the banks of the Volga River where a large tributary (the Kotorosl River) entered it used to use their positions on the high river banks to ambush passing merchant ships. The area was called "Bear Corner" both from the possibility of ambush and the fact that the pagan tribesmen worshipped the local bears. The legend states that the merchants petitioned the Rostov Prince Yaroslav the Wise to defend them. When he and his band of trusty men-at-arms met with the tribesmen they set a bear upon him. In the resulting wrestling match the Prince killed the bear therein winning the admiration of the onlookers. He ordered a church (what else!) to be built and founded a city- today's Yaroslavl. In 1598, during what the Russians call The Time of Troubles (when Boris Godunov seized the throne) the capital of Russia was transferred from Moscow to Yaroslavl where it remained until 1613. The city suffered from bloody skirmishes between the Red and White Guards during the Civil War but survived. It is, therefore among the oldest and most well known of Russian provincial cities. Today it boasts beautiful churches, a monastery, university, and a large industrial sector.
We enjoyed a most competent and humorous tour guide who pointed out several of the 40 churches in the city. We walked into the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet (built in 1647). As we found in all Russian Orthodox churches every inch of wall space was covered primarily with frescos accompanied by icons or an occasional painting. And gold gilt everywhere.
After visiting a walled monastery (founded in the 12th century - they also served as fortifications) which had been turned into a regional administrative center and architectural museum,
we spent some time walking through the central part of the old city. The area was full of young people and had a busy but drab appearance.
We then continued our tour walking through the park along the confluence of the two rivers and back to the boat.
The city is celebrating its 998th birthday.
Motoring down the Volga we saw many people camping along the river banks. Lots of people fishing, often in small one-person rubber boats. Here the banks of the river have a gentler slope with more open areas. We could see significantly more habitation with church domes sticking up over the forests.
We motored across the Rybinsk Reservoir and passed a bell tower that marks where a town
was drowned by the water which covers all other buildings.
The ship moored at Uglich (founded in 1148)
and we walked into the town's Kremlin ('Kremlin' means "Town Center"). We visited several churches along the riverfront, one built in 1630 called The Church of Demitry-on-the-Blood.
Its name derives from the fact the Ivan the Terrible gave the town to his son, Demitry.
In 1584 the two-year old by was sent here by the new Tsar, his stepbrother. Seven years later the boy was found dead with his throat cut (done, many believe by Boris Godunov who was the right-hand-man of Tsar Fyodor and who, later, seized the throne himself). A wooden church was first built on the spot in 1480 which was replaced by the stone one we saw in 1692. The frescoes inside gave a full depiction of the events of the Prince's death.
We wandered freely about the town visiting other churches
and ran the gauntlet of souvenir kiosks leading to the boat's berth.
We sailed at lunchtime heading towards Moscow. Inna (the Cruise Director) gathered everyone together and briefed us on the departure process, even though it was still four days away. Lara gathered us 'players' for a last rehearsal before the evening's performance.
The play was presented (hilariously) to the assembled tour group that evening- to the enjoyment of all, both actors and audience. Afterwards we heard Helen's singing group perform and then retired to the lounge for a drink, socializing and a bit of dancing.
A leisurely morning. We viewed the video "Moscow, Pages of History" and watched the scenery. As we neared Moscow we began to see more and more houses along the bank of the Moscow Canal with many people fishing and swimming, especially right by the locks of the canal. The canal broadens and we could see marinas with powerboats and occasional sailboats, a sure sign that we were nearing a more affluent area.
At Moscow the ship moored, along with many other riverboats, at a park in the northern part of the city. Across the Moscow River was a submarine!
We boarded a coach for a Moscow City Tour. Setting off towards the downtown area on Leningradsky Highway our guide pointed out houses, landmarks and points of historical interest. We reached the Kremlin and Red Square which is directly outside the Kremlin walls and is a 70,000 sq. meter (300,000 sq. ft). expanse. We were a bit rushed because the square was closing for the day (a concert was happening that night) but St. Basil's Cathedral with its domes and colors was spectacular while Lenin's Tomb was somber.
We enjoyed wandering around Red Square and peeking into GUM. Russia's largest shopping center (and, under the Communists, the only place foreigners could shop).
A brief visit, we were coming back the next day, and into the coach for the rest of the tour past embassies, over several bridges, the 1980 Olympics site, Moscow University and more.
Back to the boat for dinner and a charming concert by Russkiye Uzory, the Russian Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments- balalaika, domra, horns, pipes, penny whistle, accordion, spoons, drums and others. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Moscow is the sixth biggest city in the world. Founded in 1147 it was conquered by the Tatars in 1238 and made into the center of their vassal Russian province. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in the 15th century Tsar Ivan the Great named Moscow as the center of the Russian Orthodox Church and became the centerpiece of the growing Russian state. The city suffered when Peter the Great moved the capital to his new city of St. Petersburg in 1712. Napoleon focused on Moscow and marched his Grand Armeé into the city in 1812 . After the Bolshevik Revolution the capital was brought back to the city from St. Petersburg. Today Moscow's population is about 10 million, and the city is in the midst of a building boom.
Moscow drivers rank on a World class in respect to their aggressiveness
and recklessness.
We saw one driver, fed up with a small traffic jam, pull onto the sidewalk and drive blithely past all the stopped cars. Often we saw drivers roll through stop signs and forcibly merge into the moving traffic, often pulling in front of an oncoming bus or truck. During or three days in Moscow we easily saw at least a dozen fender-benders.
We were out early for the ride to the Kremlin and a visit to the Armory Palace- the country's oldest museum. The Moscow Kremlin is the place to where all Russian roads lead. It is situated where Moscow was first established and is, today, surrounded by high walls with 20 towers, mostly built in the 15th century. Inside is the seat of the country's government (along with a large white building several blocks away on the bank of the river, aptly named the Russian White House).
The Armory houses the imperial treasures including Faberge Easter eggs, centuries of gifts to the Tsars, royal coaches, the crown jewels and much, much more, such as silver and gold bowls, tea sets, decorative weaponry, icons and other religious items. Overwhelming! Unfortunately, picture taking was not permitted.
From there we went to a restaurant for lunch and then off to ride the Metro.
Built by Stalin (the proletariat could travel but they were not allowed to own a car) it is an extensive, clean, efficient and exceptionally pretty transportation system. It was truly a magnificent sight. We stopped at a number of stations with each one different from the others with mosaic pictures, lighting and decorative motifs. And clean. In the trains, young men immediately got up from their seats to allow the older members of our group to sit. Steep escalators that travel deep into the earth and trains arrive every two minutes (more often during rush hours).
We walked Arbat Street, a pedestrian walking mall in the central area. It was, in early Moscow, the main entrance into the Muscovy capital.
Linda enjoyed using her developing Russian trying to find an Internet Café and was understood- the problem came when the young policeman answered her question in rapid Russian! It's just as well we didn't find a café- Bill and Sandy found one and, although they could get to an English language website, the computer keyboard was in Cyrillic!
Our impression was that there are a lot of police about, some in uniform and many in plainclothes. We never felt threatened or worried about crime, with the exception of possible pickpockets. The streets were quite clean with street performers and buskers along the length of the pedestrian walk.
After dinner at the ship we took a "Moscow by Night" tour and boat ride. We were treated to rush-hour traffic, mostly in the opposite direction since we were headed back into the town center, and then a canal boat ride through central Moscow. We were served champagne and Russian chocolate on the boat while being serenaded by an accordionist as the sun slowly settled lower and the city's lights came on.
We then traveled to Red Square and enjoyed the sight of St. Basil's light up and the lights on the façade of the 'GUM' store, - quite impressive.
Our last full day in Russia. We were out early for an hour's coach ride to the Zgorsk Monastery.
It is a working monastery and the seat of the Russian Orthodox religion. Behind the thick fortress walls were several churches, chapels and shrines. A seminary with 1,000 pupils was located there and a refractory to serve meals not only to the residents but to the multitudes of pilgrims who come. All the churches and chapels are ornately decorated and the insides full of frescoes and icons.
We were able to see a service in progress. As the devout approached the monastery they continually crossed themselves (from right to left) and bowed. The same behavior as they entered a church. Inside the attendees stand during the service and walk to various icons, cross themselves and kiss the icon (yuck!). It appeared as if most of the people were women. The monks were singing - no musical instruments other than the human voice (male) are permitted, and the priest was at the altar. A few elderly ladies were seated at the back of the church. We strolled about the grounds watching the priests, some were chatting with people others on cell phones others walking briskly briefcase in hand.
We ate lunch on the boat and then strolled across (actually 'under' through a tunnel - it was truly life-threatening to step onto a roadway!) the Leningradsky Highway and walked into the residential section located there. We found three and four story housing located in what was almost a park with roads running through it. We strolled through a small local market with meat and bread being sold out of small panel trucks and kiosks with other foodstuffs, clothing, house wares, etc.
Our last morning- we finished the packing and met Bill and Sandy for breakfast (we occasionally joined them for breakfast but ate dinner together each evening). We visited with others waiting for the arranged transportation. Our van arrived on time and off we went to Moscow Airport for the trip home.
Gross inefficiency! Lines! Everyone boarding a flight to the US was directed into one line (all other flights went through several different desks).
1 ½ hours later we Agot to the front of the line. There we placed our bag onto an X-Ray machine then had to pick up the bags and lift them onto a table where a woman proceeded to empty them- we had to repack the bags. We then took the bags to another line where they were checked through to LA and we received our tickets, then to Passport Control and into the terminal. The terminal itself was small and crowded. We found our way to the designated gate for the Delta flight and had our carry-on luggage X-Rayed and then taken apart by a uniformed worker. This was where we had to walk through a metal detector. The gate area had limited seating and it filled up quickly. The plane was delayed by over an hour - no explanation why. We finally were airborne
and on our way home to California by way of Atlanta.
Russia is a country in the midst of change, and no one knows how it will turn out. The major palaces and museums that we visited were, virtually, all rebuilt since the Second World War left much of the country and its edifices destroyed (the Germans deliberately blew up the buildings before they retreated). St. Petersburg is a beautiful, clean and vibrant city while Moscow is clean, big and rushed. The smaller towns and villages we visited reflected the poverty that still haunts the Russian people. The ancient 'serf' had no rights and was considered as 'property;' under the Communists the majority of the people suffered through the centralized and corrupt distribution planning although health care, education and retirement pensions were available to all; and since the fall of the Communist government and the loss of the social safety net pensions largely disappeared, health care has been minimized and employment scarce (many of the people hawking postcards to the tourists were college graduates and we met old women attempting to sell picked flowers for a few rubles; the English-speaking tour guides on our boat were teachers who had to work during the summer holidays to be able to make ends meet).
Western Russia is a magnificent country- expansive and beautiful.
Our being on the river allowed us to view a part of Western Europe that is still undeveloped while learning about the country's culture and history. The people we met were friendly, although most did not speak English. It was quite a good experience- but it's always wonderful to come back to lovely Ojai.
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