Sun. 9-23-18
We spent our first night on the boat at dock. Our final group is only 9 of us so really feels like a private group. Other groups were herded onto large buses today, but we got in our small comfy van and headed back in the city. It was rainy and cold. As we approached our first destination, we learned all the roads were closed in the city center due to a marathon. We shifted to plan B and spent the AM riding the subways. Each subway stop has a different theme, and are beautiful. We saw beautiful mosaics, sculptures, stained glass chandeleirs etc.... Around noon time we made our way toward the Novodevichy convent and spent about an hour walking in the cemetery which included the graves of the famous of Russia including Brusncanev, Boris Yelstin, Tretykov and our boats namesake, Mstislav Rostropovich. The cemetery felt like we were in a park with all kinds of unique sculptures and statues. We ate lunch at a restaurant in town, did some more touring by Van, then arrived back to the ship late afternoon. We had the usual safety drill before departing, the set off cruising around 5:30. There was a Captains welcome and staff presentation, followed by a quick briefing with Misha. Unfortunately Jon does not have a happy belly so I joined Jim, Danette and Misha for cocktails, then dinner.
We spent our first night on the boat at dock. Our final group is only 9 of us so really feels like a private group. Other groups were herded onto large buses today, but we got in our small comfy van and headed back in the city. It was rainy and cold. As we approached our first destination, we learned all the roads were closed in the city center due to a marathon. We shifted to plan B and spent the AM riding the subways. Each subway stop has a different theme, and are beautiful. We saw beautiful mosaics, sculptures, stained glass chandeleirs etc.... Around noon time we made our way toward the Novodevichy convent and spent about an hour walking in the cemetery which included the graves of the famous of Russia including Brusncanev, Boris Yelstin, Tretykov and our boats namesake, Mstislav Rostropovich. The cemetery felt like we were in a park with all kinds of unique sculptures and statues. We ate lunch at a restaurant in town, did some more touring by Van, then arrived back to the ship late afternoon. We had the usual safety drill before departing, the set off cruising around 5:30. There was a Captains welcome and staff presentation, followed by a quick briefing with Misha. Unfortunately Jon does not have a happy belly so I joined Jim, Danette and Misha for cocktails, then dinner.
Tues 9-24-18
Today we cruised by the Flooded Belfry in Kalyazin, had a Russian lesson, watched a documentary on the Romanovs. In the afternoon we toured Ouglich which is a town in west Russia. The grounds of its Kremlin citadel surround the green-domed Transfiguration Cathedral, which has an ornate wall of icons. Close by, the Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood has vivid frescoes memorializing the death of 16th-century leader Ivan the Terrible’s son. Uglich State Museum exhibits antique weapons and religious artifacts.
Today we cruised by the Flooded Belfry in Kalyazin, had a Russian lesson, watched a documentary on the Romanovs. In the afternoon we toured Ouglich which is a town in west Russia. The grounds of its Kremlin citadel surround the green-domed Transfiguration Cathedral, which has an ornate wall of icons. Close by, the Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood has vivid frescoes memorializing the death of 16th-century leader Ivan the Terrible’s son. Uglich State Museum exhibits antique weapons and religious artifacts.
Tues. 9-25-18
Various activities in am. We crossed one of the two lakes this cruise. It was a little rough, but not too bad. Again, cold and rainy. After lunch, we visited Goritsy village. It was a short an ride from the boat. We toured the Goritsky monestary which had another large collection of icons. When we returned we had a vodka tasting with various appetizers including caviar, then had Russian tea with buns. We passed by another church belfry in a flooded area, then participated in Russian dancing and singing. We ate a Russian themed dinner, followed by a concert. It is a very relaxing cruise. We run 24 house with the exception of our daily visit to a port. The river is packed with commercial barges. There is also quite a current flowing against us.
Various activities in am. We crossed one of the two lakes this cruise. It was a little rough, but not too bad. Again, cold and rainy. After lunch, we visited Goritsy village. It was a short an ride from the boat. We toured the Goritsky monestary which had another large collection of icons. When we returned we had a vodka tasting with various appetizers including caviar, then had Russian tea with buns. We passed by another church belfry in a flooded area, then participated in Russian dancing and singing. We ate a Russian themed dinner, followed by a concert. It is a very relaxing cruise. We run 24 house with the exception of our daily visit to a port. The river is packed with commercial barges. There is also quite a current flowing against us.
Wed. 9-26-18
We woke up and found ourselves at port. Come to find out, we were unable to cross the first of the two large lakes due to 8 foot waves and wind. We were all disappointed to miss our trip up the lake Kizhi Island where the town there was an open air museum of ancient wooden houses and windmills. Instead we stayed at the dock in the town of Vytegra. We toured the local Vytegra history museum. It was interesting that the town spent only a half day training women to disarm bombs, then sent them out. We then toured a diesel Russian submarine,tight quarters for sure..... We then visited a small church. I actually enjoyed the stop because we were able to just walk around, see kids in school, visit a grocery store, just observe everyday life. We had a late afternoon lunch, then some lectures, and we even played a rousing game of bingo. We still did not know if we would be a go to cross the lake. E had a cute pirate themed dinner, then a concert. Sometime after midnight we left.
We woke up and found ourselves at port. Come to find out, we were unable to cross the first of the two large lakes due to 8 foot waves and wind. We were all disappointed to miss our trip up the lake Kizhi Island where the town there was an open air museum of ancient wooden houses and windmills. Instead we stayed at the dock in the town of Vytegra. We toured the local Vytegra history museum. It was interesting that the town spent only a half day training women to disarm bombs, then sent them out. We then toured a diesel Russian submarine,tight quarters for sure..... We then visited a small church. I actually enjoyed the stop because we were able to just walk around, see kids in school, visit a grocery store, just observe everyday life. We had a late afternoon lunch, then some lectures, and we even played a rousing game of bingo. We still did not know if we would be a go to cross the lake. E had a cute pirate themed dinner, then a concert. Sometime after midnight we left.
