Volga Riverboat

#Volga_Riverboat

The ship MS Surikov (named after the Russian painter Vasily Surikov) was built in Austria and has been refurbished many times
On board it had very basic amenities plus small cabins about the size of a railcar sleeper, but it was equipped with a modern navigational system, so clean and safe
That is all i require as i explore some remote areas of this part of the world

 

My route covers 1400 kms (870 miles) through a network of connected waterways, the Volga River and the Moscow canal

On the Volga River which is the longest in Europe (3,520kms or 2,194 miles)

Fun Facts;
A) It was an ancient trade route used by the Vikings that connected Scandinavia to the Persian and Central Asian markets
This was done with built settlements that acted as trading centers on the Volga
B) The river has eight massive reservoirs created by dams, which then formed the largest chain of artificial lakes in the world
C) It is home for the sturgeon and its caviar which unfortunately has been severely impacted by overfishing and also through environmental impacts
D) The river delta is the largest in Europe with much plant and animal life

 With the Baltic Sea, White Sea, Black Sea and the Sea of Azov all connected with a system of canals and waterways then add in the Volga plus all her rivers
You then have all the passages linked together and part of the global ocean system

Perhaps that is why its part of Russian folklore and often called Mother Volga

Syzran Bridge System

Also known as the Alexandrovsky Bridge, its part of the historic railway crossing of the Volga River that opened in 1880
This at its time was a major engineering project which was a symbol of the countrys growing industrial strength and transportation network plus helped connect the important regions of the empire that was before very isolated

Unscheduled stop....... but made some new friends jajajaja

Mandrogy

The village featured some colorful wooden log houses with the intricate carvings that would of been the traditional style of 18th century Karelian settlers
Also noticed a Russian banya (bathhouse.....did not partake) plus a wooden windmill and some local artisans

But they did have a Vodka Museum with some tastings, so to my hosts
Za Zdorovie "to your health"

The first of many canal locks (20) to enter

Early History
A) The earliest date back to Roman times and was used by the Vikings who had simple gates in a dam that would be opened to allow the boat to be swept downstream
Now going to an upstream passage, that was a difficult and manual process
B) Then the first with two gates (known as a pound lock) was built in China around 984BC
C) The first European pound lock was built in the Netherlands in 1373 but different by using guillotine gates that moved up and down
D) Leonardo da Vinci then improved the pound gate design by coming up with a V-Shape (called a mitre gate) that was held shut by the water pressure, its still widely used today

Modern Times
Locks are typically built of reinforced concrete, with the gates made of steel or other durable materials

Goritzy

This village is generally only accessible by river and is famous for its Monastery of Resurrection which is an Orthodox female convent
The Nunnery was also known as the place for imprisonment for those who had fallen out of favor with Ivan the Terrible, one was his fourth wife Anna Koltovskaya 

Took this photo as we sailed by which is a reminder of the past history
Still a very polarized figure, with his supporters that praised him for establishing a revolutionary state and his critics that condemn him for making a violent dictatorship that led to the deaths of millions

Yaroslavl
Founded in 1010 which makes it one of the oldest cities in Russia and at one time served as the capital during the Polish occupation of Moscow
(Look for my separate blog when i visited the Monastery here)

One of eight hydroelectric power plants built on the river during the Soviet era which today only accounts for 18% of the energy needs
Natural Gas is almost half at 46%, with nuclear around 19%

Entering the lock which in total took about 25 minutes during the process of filling then exiting

Kalyazin Bell Tower

This is what is left of the former Monastery of St Nicholas after the Uglich Dam was constructed,
 so after the old town and church was submerged, but the tower was left standing

Today a small pier has been added so tourists can visit plus the Orthodox Christians sometimes hold a service in the belfry

Uglich

One of the oldest cities of Russia with a founding date of 937 AD and known for its architecture plus culture
Also a significant piece history occurred here as Tsarevich Dmitry (son of Ivan the Terrible) was murdered which lead to turbulent period of the countrys history known as the "Time of Troubles"

The recurring theme on this tour was the amount of Churches and Monasteries you encounter
As of the latest count, there were 38,649 Parishes, 972 Monasteries ( 474 Male & 498 Female) and 21,849 Churches

As i experience my last go through, i thought of some of the other famous ones i have been to

A) The Panama; which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
B) Suez Canal; allows the Mediterranean and Red Sea  to create a water channel 
C) Welland in Canada which is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway system
D) Venice and its network of waterways
E) Amsterdam system of canals

Did you Know
It is good luck on New Years Eve to ring the bell sixteen times.......eight bells to mark the end of the old year and eight more to welcome in the new