Map of River Cruise Route
The river cruise took us from Moscow to St. Petersburg
via the Moscow Canal, Volga River and other waterways. This map shows
our route and stops along the way at Uglich, Kostrama, Yaraslavl, Goritzi,
Kizki Island and Mondraga.
Our River Transportation
This East German made boat carried the 40 Americans,
125+ French and 80+ Russian crew members for the duration of our journey.
Moscow Harbor Building
Bow View
Cruising down the Moscow Canal.
Church of Dimitri on the Blood
This was one of two churches in Uglich which was our
first stop.
Frescos inside Church of Dimitri
The local guide is seen here describing the colorful frescos inside the
small church.
Uglich Choral Group
The five man choral group performed inside the Church of Transconfiguration
in Uglich.
Approach to Kostrama
A large statue of Lenin can be seen on top of the hill "pointing
the way".
Kostrama Market Vendor
Kostrama Market Vendor
Inside Troisky Church
This image shot inside the Troisky (trinity) Church
at Spatiev Monastery in Kostrama was representative of the splendid
interiors seen in most churches. It was always surprising to see the
inside of the churches that were less than appealing from the outside.
Ferry Entertainment
This musical group provided the entertainment as the
ferry took us from the Monastery (seen in the background) in Kostrama
back to our ship.
Yaraslavl Monastery
A view inside the Transfiguration of our Savior Monastery.
Overlooking Yaraslavl
The spectacular view from the bell tower of Our Lady
of Pecharsk Church.
Elijah the Prophet Church
In Yaraslavl.
Goritzi Farmer
The small field was being plowed with horse-power.
Transfiguration Church
The all wood church on the island of Kizhi was build
without a single nail.
Group Shot
This was the group that PhotoMann (on far left) traveled
with. We were all Americans but most of us live in Germany vice the
US.
Flooded Area
We navigated through a huge man-made lake area that
was flooded by Stalin to connect waterways. We saw many flooded churches
and towns as we passed. The entire lake is very shallow with an average
depth of only 3 meters.
Ship Bridge
We took a tour of the bridge towards the tail end of
our voyage.
Baby Bear
This baby bear was one of two being raised by a biologist
in Mondraga village. Note the sharp claws on the biologist's arm. Unfortunately
this small bear and it's sharp claws took a liking to PhotoMann! He
grabbed onto PhotoMann's bare leg (pun intended... I was wearing shorts).
Fortunately the cub only wanted to play but I still had scratches and
marks for several days. Unfortunately no one got a picture of the cub
attached to my leg!
PhotoBabe in Russian Dress
PhotoBabe who was 18 months old in this picture took
part in the costume party on the last night of our cruise. She's running
across the stage here into Grandpa's arms.
Costume Party
These adventurous folks opted to dress up for the ship's costume
party.
Colorful Riverbank
This was the exception rather than the norm. Many
of the sights along the rivers were gutted and bleak factories.
Suggested Russian Travel Guides
(Order Through Amazon Books - Click on the book name)
Insight
Pocket Guide Moscow
The Insight Pocket Guide series of books is my favorite
for short stays at any destination. The book highlights the must see
destinations in full day and half day itineraries. This includes detailed
maps and suggested walking routes. This guide is a must have especially
for a short visit.
Eyewitness
Travel Guides: Moscow
Eyewitness guides provide great detail on sights and history. It's
a great reference especially with it's fantastic three dimensional
cutaway views of sites and monuments to point out all the details.
It makes finding things much easier than merely having a bunch of
words and a map.
Lonely
Planet Moscow
Lonely
Planet Russia, Ukraine & Belarus
As with most Lonely Planet guides, these editions are invaluable
resources for planning your journey. They offer you the most up-to-date
information about where to go and where to aviod, how to get there
and get around, where to stay at a reasonable rate. The guides provide
everything you'll need to know for a rewarding visit.
Fodor's
Moscow and St. Petersburg
A lively, graphic, full-color guidebook to Moscow and St.
Petersburg. The author provides solid travel reporting on every region
including what to see and do plus recommended tours. It's rating system
identifies the not-to-be-missed sights.
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