Russian Riverboats 101

My home for 10 days

The Island of Kizhi which was the most interesting stop

Entering Yaroslavl

The Kalyazin Bell Tower as we near Uglich.  The belfry was built in the late 1790s  but as Stalin ordered the construction of the dam several structures were submerged

My route for this adventure

Lake Ladoga

Lake Onega

Most stops we has some "sister ships' join us.

My latest adventure has led me to Saint Petersburg to Moscow via the riverboat, here is some of the info that will be helpful if deciding to take on this trip. My ship (MS Surikov of the Russian Co. Mosturflot) was very clean and safe but was built in 1974  (has had many upgrades since) so don't go thinking it is a modern day liner as your doing reno's with only so much boat, plus your dealing with rivers and locks so size of the craft needs to be limited to navigate this tight areas. Also the typical riverboat will host approx. 200 passengers plus crew with no extra amenities ie. no swimming pool, fitness center, casino or 24 hr restaurant's, with scheduled eating times, small entertainment and bar area, no TV"s in your room and public internet only at certain times. Finally the rooms would be a challenge for 2 adults given they are the size of a railcar berth, but you need to look past all of this as it has a certain charm to be plying the waters without all that glitter.....which lets face it is just "window dressing"  So lets shove off and get to see parts of Russia only that MS Surikov can take us to


One of eighteen locks we went through to Moscow, and believe me they were not all during the day.......so a few restless sleeps 

The Savior-Transfiguration Monastery of Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl was founded in 1010 and in the 17th Century was Russia's second largest city

The Monastery was also used as a fortress

A midlevel set of bells within minutes to chime 

With a building almost 800 years old......any window is great!

The bell toll for thee (lol) when I heard I could climb the steps to the top, lets go..... but not for everybody who is afraid of heights

The Monastery was founded in the 12th century and by the 18th century was the residence of the local archbishop

I am guessing approximately 200 steps to my quest 

On the top and looking down onto the River Kotorosl

The Amazing Island of Kizhi

The Chapel of the Archangel Michael was built in the 18th century and moved to Kizhi Island  in the 1960's

The Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus was built approximately in 1390 and is Russia's oldest surviving log structure

Church of the Transfiguration .......built exclusively of wood which includes 22 domes and is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites

Kizhi Island is small ( 1 km wide and 6 km long) which has had settlements from as early as the 15th century

In the 1950's dozens of historical wooden buildings were moved to the island and then it formed an outdoor National Museum  with over 80 historical structures

The temperatures are typical for this area but it is certainly not a beach stop lol......July being the warmest 20C (68 F)  and  has five months that average below freezing 

Kizhi   actual meaning is social gathering  or island of games

Everything on the island is made of wood.......it seems that theme was carried over even to this scarecrow 

A boat from the 17th century

During the 14th century the island was part of the route to the White Sea. The area was an important source of iron ores  which required hard physical labor  and usually worked by local peasants who if you disobeyed were sent to exile in Siberia........but as you can see above, it was a hard life no matter which way you opted to do

Most of the fields yielding various grains and potatoes for harvest

No guests homes to rent here, so for daily visits its either ( like i did ) by riverboat, hydrofoil, helicopter or a snowmobile in the winter 

Over 20 peasant homes, mills and barns are here with the churches for the open air museum 

Not wrought iron but again made of wood

Moscow

Walking the streets of Moscow and with a population of over 20 million residents...... it is the largest city on the European continent 

Over 40% of the city is covered by greenery including a large forest within those boundaries 

Inside the walls of Red Square

Saint Basil's Cathedral that was built in 1555

Red Square did not get its name from the bricks surrounding the Kremlin nor the link between red and communism. It came from a Russian word kpachar which means red and was the name of the small area between St Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin

Presidential Palace

Inside these gates of the Kremlin you have the home of the President, Tsarist treasures in the Armoury, Lenin's Mausoleum and the Historical Museum 

Riding the famous Metro Subway System of Moscow and with over 9 million daily ridership.......one of the busiest in the world . Soviet workers did the labor and art work, but the main engineering designs, routes and construction were handled by the specialists who built the London Underground 

The art work of the Moscow Metro was built under Stalin's rule......he wanted the structures to show radiance!

Kazan Cathedral from the 17th century

With the Communist Rule now as history........Moscow is in the top ten most expensive places to live in the world 

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Some of the molding on the walls inside the Metro

Red Square getting ready for sleep

Moscow is now becoming one of the fastest tourist destinations in the world. But do your homework, as a Visa for visiting is required ........ i waited many weeks and at a cost of $500 to obtain one for myself 



The city is situated on the banks of the Moskva River which has 49 bridges spanning across it and also canals from it 

Best time to visit is through the warm months of June, July and August with the average temperature of  22 C ( 72 F )

For much of its architectural history the city was dominated by Orthodox Churches