We arrived in Yaroslavl in the morning. A tour bus with a city guide was waiting. The city had a population of one-half million. Our guide took us to churches, a monastery, and a modern reparatory theatre for children. Most of the acting was done with puppets. They did sell high quality lacquer boxes at high prices. On the street there was no shortage of tourist merchandise at much cheaper prices but the quality was in question.
Our guide spoke good English and was well-versed in the history. The route from Moscow to St. Petersburg was an ancient trade route so through the years, armies, including the Mongols, had swept through leaving devastation in their wake. The Volga was part of the water highway through Central Russia. Pleasantly, in August the weather was warm but in the winter it became a frozen wasteland where there was good reason to wear fur hats and bear skin coats. The 80◦ temperatures in August made it easy to forget the frozen winter ahead.
Back on the boat we were served a choice of several flavors of vodka at a late afternoon party. Shortly afterwards most everyone went on deck because we entered a lock leaving the Volga and entering the Rybinsk Reservoir, a large body of water impounded for hydroelectric power.
There were 43 passengers from Portugal aboard. They got together in one of the meeting rooms and danced their native lively pattern dances, singing as they kicked their heels. I could only watch. In the evening we danced to canned music. The Portuguese kept things lively.
Russia was a vast country with a variety of climates and cultures. There must have been pockets of poverty but from outward appearances the people looked healthy and not to be in great want. All around the banks of the canal and the Volga families were picnicking and swimming. The markets were full of produce and trade goods. If there was great poverty it was all well hidden from us. It could be that, as one passenger said, there was lots of produce on the shelves but no money to buy.
In the evening we danced to the music of the disc jockey. Many more women than men wanted to dance so often they would circle the floor and keep time with the music. The Portuguese, who were a full-loving bunch, kept the party lively.
We arrived in Yaroslavl in the morning. A tour bus with a city guide was waiting. The city had a population of one-half million. Our guide took us to churches, a monastery, and a modern reparatory theatre for children. Most of the acting was done with puppets. They did sell high quality lacquer boxes at high prices. On the street there was no shortage of tourist merchandise at much cheaper prices but the quality was in question.
Our guide spoke good English and was well-versed in the history. The route from Moscow to St. Petersburg was an ancient trade route so through the years, armies, including the Mongols, had swept through leaving devastation in their wake. The Volga was part of the water highway through Central Russia. Pleasantly, in August the weather was warm but in the winter it became a frozen wasteland where there was good reason to wear fur hats and bear skin coats. The 80◦ temperatures in August made it easy to forget the frozen winter ahead.
Back on the boat we were served a choice of several flavors of vodka at a late afternoon party. Shortly afterwards most everyone went on deck because we entered a lock leaving the Volga and entering the Rybinsk Reservoir, a large body of water impounded for hydroelectric power.
There were 43 passengers from Portugal aboard. They got together in one of the meeting rooms and danced their native lively pattern dances, singing as they kicked their heels. I could only watch. In the evening we danced to canned music. The Portuguese kept things lively.
Russia was a vast country with a variety of climates and cultures. There must have been pockets of poverty but from outward appearances the people looked healthy and not to be in great want. All around the banks of the canal and the Volga families were picnicking and swimming. The markets were full of produce and trade goods. If there was great poverty it was all well hidden from us. It could be that, as one passenger said, there was lots of produce on the shelves but no money to buy.
In the evening we danced to the music of the disc jockey. Many more women than men wanted to dance so often they would circle the floor and keep time with the music. The Portuguese, who were a full-loving bunch, kept the party lively.
During the night we went through a couple of locks and in the morning a lock with the largest drop (about 25 feet). There were 16 locks from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Just before arriving in Uglich we passed through another lock. At each lock there was room for two boats at one time so one cruise boat had to wait for another before going through.
At the Captain’s party there were three couples sitting together, a Welch couple, a Scottish couple, and an English couple. They were good friends and friendly to me. They were in their 50’s. All the English I talked to were from the southern part of Great Britain. It must be more prosperous there. There were other nationalities on board. The German group had a guide who spoke German so I didn’t get to know any of them.
At Uglich we had a guided tour of two churches and a museum. On the way to the first church we ran a gauntlet of peddlers. They had booths with earrings, necklaces, dolls and doo-dads. People were walking around selling watches and post cards. The saddest thing was to see all the old ladies selling flowers no-one wanted.
In Moscow there seemed to be a shortage of merchandise and of buyers. The people were as well dressed as in any large American city. The malls were filled with women wearing fashionable clothes. Some of the younger ones wore mini-skirts just short of showing it all. Many walked around with cell phones in their pockets. Just as in America, a phone would ring and out would come a phone and shopper would be talking as he walked down the mall.
The bus took us back to the Red Square, where we went inside the walls of the Kremlin and armory. Many of the churches have gold onion domes. Our guide said it was gold leaf, probably on copper roofing.
On the grounds was a huge 20 ton bell that had never been rung. Catherine the Great had ordered it made but a large piece had broken out of it either through a flaw in the casting or in a fire. The broken bell and the broken piece had been mounted permanently for all to see. There was also the largest cannon in the world that had never been fired. By the time it was completed more modern armament made it obsolete.
We took time to eat our box lunch and then went to an art gallery where our guide took us from room to room explaining the pictures. She was versed in the names and history of the authors and of Russian history. She also had much knowledge of painting techniques. She was dedicated to her job and seemed anxious that we be exposed as much of the artwork as possible in our time frame.
We went through the museum where much that the Russian royalty wore was displayed. Much of the clothing was encrusted in precious and semi-precious stones. The thrones were decorated with ivory or jewel encrusted. The carriages were ornately carved and some of them huge. One needed sixteen horses to pull it.
For the military there were suits of armor for the man and horse and chain link vests for the man. The jeweled swords were used for dress up, not for battle.
Before dinner we had the Captain’s Champagne Party with a three piece colorfully dressed musical group. They played the peppy Russian and Ukrainian numbers with mandolin, guitar, accordion, and a strange triangular stringed instrument. The hostess and I danced across the floor and then each grabbed another for a partner. After dinner the dance floor was still crowded but the group was gone. We danced until bedtime to canned music.
On my morning walk along side the Volga Canal I passed other river cruise ships like mine tied up to the dock—sometimes there were three deep—and a whole fleet of water taxis and excursion boats. The cranes (cargo) and industrial water front areas were next. Every so often a self propelled barge loaded with cargo would float by. At 8:30 breakfast (which was dry cereal, cheese, and lunchmeat) I was given my packed for the city sight-seeing tour.
Our capable Russian guide (she spoke English well) took us on an interesting tour of the many excellent buildings with Russian architecture, such as a walled church and monastery built in the fourteenth century.
After the city tour (as an extra) we toured Arbat Street, a walking street where stalls hawking tourists abound. Then we were given tokens and taken underground into the metro system. The escalator took us deep below the city streets. The trains traveled at least seventy miles per hour and very close together. Much design and expense went into the building of the stations. One had numerous statues against the portals and lighted ceilings with mosaic artwork in the center of each dome. We stopped at three stations, each with a uniquely different theme. Our guide would, above the roar of the train, shout to us some facts and history of each station. It was exciting and exhilarating.
Back on the boat we were to eat dinner at 5 p.m. and go to the circus at the Kremlin but for some unknown reason the circus was cancelled. The dinner hour on a regular basis was 8:30 p.m. but the food was ready so we ate early. My table was changed to one with six place settings. At first I was alone. The salad of vegetables and head cheese was good. There was a dish of halved hard boiled eggs. I took a half to eat with my salad. I was eating the tasty green soup when the hosted instructed me to break up the egg into the soup and add some dressing. It enhanced the flavor.
When my table partners arrived, it was like I was in a whirlwind. They were two middle aged couples from Belgium. They talked and laughed and wasted no time on etiquette, but attacked the food. They were lusty, enjoyable folks. One of the men said he was a professor and had been in Russia in 1972.
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