Moscow - City

Moscow is a huge city – 15,000,000 people.  I had no idea!  It apparently has the worst traffic in the world – after 4 days there we can believe it!  90% of the people live in apartments – many own them.  Inspite of it's size, Moscow is a very clean city.

The city has been booming since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.  There is construction everywhere.  There are more billionaires than any other city in the world.  It is evident from what you see – many luxury cars, high end stores everywhere, young people with all of the toys you can imagine – it goes on and on.  I asked one of our guides if Muscovites spent everything they made or if they were saving something for the future.  The answer was they spend everything.  It makes you think it may all come crashing down at some point.

The construction that dates back to Lenin’s and Stalin’s time can be somewhat austere and in some cases it is being torn down.  Lenin did build 7 huge building (7 sisters) all of which survive and are very ornate.

New Construction Since Perestoika

University of Moscow - One of Lenin's Seven Sister's Buildings

Olympic Stadium from Sparrow Hill

Cruising Into Moscow on the Moscow Canal

As we continued our way to Moscow, we knew we were getting closer to a big city as there was more life along the river

We were sailing on the Moscow Canal. Peter the Great envisioned such a canal in the 18^th century to help connect St. Petersburg and Moscow but it took Stalin to make it happen in the 1930’s.  He enlisted several million prisoners in his Gulag forced-labour camps to dig the 80 mile long canal.  It included 7 concrete dams, 8 earthen dams, 11 locks, 8 hydroelectric stations, 5 pump stations, 15 bridges and Northern Passenger Terminal (our docking place in Moscow.  It was a much greater project than the Suez or Panama canals and yet only took 5 years to complete.

Here are a few pictures of what we saw.

Along the Moscow Canal

Bell Tower of Church of the Trinty (1654) - Monastery and Church Flooded when Canal Built - Tower Still Visible

Approaching Moscow

Approaching Moscow

Uglich

Uglich was our last river stop before Moscow.  We toured the town and were able to visit a couple in their home.

Docked in Uglich

The home we visited was described as middle class but would not be that by our standards.  The couple was retired.  The wife was university educated and the husband had worked in the watch factory, the main industry in the town, employing 10,000 people at one time.  They had built their home as they could afford it (no mortgaging) and now their son and family was living with them until they could do the same.  We were served vodka (accompanied by multiple toasts), pickles and bread followed by cake and tea.  They were proud to show us around their home and the husband was especially proud of his garden, wanting me to take a picture from an upstairs window.  Some were apprehensive about these home visits but the homes were very clean and there was nothing to worry about.

Arriving for Home Visit - Uglich

Enjoying Vodka, Pickles and bread - Uglich

Garden at Home Visit - Uglich

Our Home Visit Hosts - Uglich

During the tour of the town we were entertained by a male sextet that was excellent.  I didn’t buy their CD as I already had one that I wasn’t going to be able to understand a word!

Male Sextet in Uglich

Leaving Uglich

Leaving a Lock after Uglich

Yaroslavl

Prior to docking in Yaroslavl, the ship refueled (a 2 ½ hour process).

Refueling at Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl celebrated it’s millennium in 2010.  The center of the city is a Unesco World Heritage Site.  Although we Had never heard of it before it was a very lovely city with a rich history  It is located where the Volga and the Kotorosol Rivers meet.

Yaroslavl Millennium Park at Confluence of Rivers

We visited a market, toured and were entertained at the Governor’s House and were later entertained by a male acapella quarter (one of whom sings with the Marinsky Opera).  Yes I bought their CD!

Lois Buying Honey at Market (yes it got home safely!!)

Acapella Quartet (fellow on right sings at the Marinsky)

Church of the Transfiguration

Inside Church of the Transfiguration

Entry in Garden Competition in Yaroslavl

Entertainment at the Govenor's House - Yaroslavl

Kuzino

Along the River Approaching Kuzino

Docked at Kuzino

We toured the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery which dates from the 14th century - more churches and icons etc.

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery from the Water

After that we went to a Russian School.  Our guide was a girl in grade 10 who spoke excellent English and aspires to work in some sort of translation/guide role.  A small group of students put on a concert for us and they also had crafts the students made for sale. 20% of the proceeds went to the school and 80% to the student.  The result was many people bought something.  It would appear they have a good education system although we would consider their schools to be pretty basic and primitive.

Students Entertaining Us

We also had a Viking Show when we docked.  It was the only thing on the whole trip that was somewhat “disneylandish”.  Otherwise any entertainment has been outstanding and in keeping with the Russian culture.

Along the River After Kuzino (saw many scenes like this)

Kizhi

Kizhi Island is a Unesco World Heritage Site.  It is the farthest north we cruised at 62 degrees.

It is an open air museum renowned for its outstanding collection of wooden buildings.  The most well-known of these is the Transfiguration Church with its 22 domes.  This church is currently under restoration, so we were only able to see it from the outside.  We were able to go inside the nine domed Intersession Church.  Both of these churches are said to have been built without the use of a single nail.

Wooden Domes of the Transfiguration Church

Transfiguration Church Under Restoration

Farm House at Kizhi (cattle kept in back of house - up ramp)

Sauna at Kizhi

Mandrogi

Mandrogi was destroyed during World War ll. In 1996 it was rebuilt as an open air museum to traditional Russian villages.  It also is a vacation retreat for Russian families.

Lois and I participated in Matryoshka Painting.

At Mandrogi

Lois Painting Matryoshka Dolls