FUN-travel: Mandrogi – Day 9 – Uniworld River Cruise
July 13, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Mandrogi – Day 9 – Uniworld River Cruise
Day 11 – Friday, July 11 – Mandrogi – blue skies – high 70’s
Morning Mist
What I LIKE
- Morning mist clings to the river
- Water is like glass w/incredible reflections
- Scenery much like yesterday
- – thick forested pines on edge of rocky jagged coast line
- – only more houses
- 11:00 – arrive Mandrogi – traditional Russian settlement
- – burned down in WW2
- – rebuilt 1997
- – original inhabitants best ship builders
- – local forests good pine trees
- Nice walk thru village
- Local craftsmen & artisans creating beautiful
- – carving, pottery, jewelry, lace & paintings
FUN-food – Pirozhki = small hot pastry w/fillings
– can be anything from meat, egg, cheese to fruitMore FF – Shashlyk = BBQ lunch
– in village across from ship pier
– grilled chicken, fish, pork & veggies
- Continue walk around village
- – find horse stables
- – windmills
- – Russian gingerbread houses
- 2:30 – set sail for St. Petersburg
- 3:00 – nap time
- 6:45 – excursion briefing
- 7:00 – dinner w/Indian couple
- – get travel agent info for trip to India
- Russian Vodka to go w/typical Russian meal – Beef Stroganoff & borscht
- 11:00 – night night for early morning
Russian Fairytale Architecture
What I DON’T LIKE
- Vodka Museum – have to pay $6
- (they have more than 2500 different labels)
- – they give you tasting
- – even if you don’t want it
- There is no sunrise & sunset!
- It’s light all the time now!
- Keep waking up @ 4 am!
- Sleep is fitful
FUN-fact – We went through a total of 18 locks since leaving Moscow.
Not so FF – 10:30 pm and the sun is pouring in our window. How can this happen when we have had the sunrise every day?
FUN-travel: Cruising Lake Onega & Kizhi Island – Day 8 – Uniworld River Cruise
July 12, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Cruising Lake Onega & Kizhi Island – Day 8 – Uniworld River Cruise
Day 10 – Thursday, July 10 – Cruising Lake Onega, Kizhi Island – overcast morning turns to sunny – high 60’s
Church of Transfiguration – Winter Church
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – wake up
- Slept good!
- 9:30 – breakfast
- Caviar & champagne @ breakfast
- Nice lox too
- Clearly read survey!
- 12:00 – go shopping in boutique
- use up all ship board credits
- Beautiful miniature Russian lacquer box – winter scene w/mother of pearl on lid
- Teeny, tiny one inside too
- 1:00 – lunch – more survey responses
- Pasta station w/Puttanesca fish sauce
- 2:00 – room R&R
- Work on catching up on these travel logs
- Don’t need a nap!
- No rain as predicted!
- Bright sun glistens on the water
- Very remote region w/few structures
- 4:20 – breathtaking view of Church of Transfiguration
- 4:30 – arrive Kizhi Island
- – UNESCO site
- Small, narrow treeless island is 6 km long by 1 km wide
- Walking tour to open air museum
- Specializing in wooden architecture
- 1st stop – Church of Transfiguration – erected 1714
- – called Russian fairytale architecture
- – has 22 different sized shimmering domes
- – covered with 30,000 carved aspen shingles
- – built w/o nails
Small Chapel
- 2nd stop – large farm house
- – housed 15 people on upper floor
- – bottom floor was barn
- – housed animals & farm equipment
Church of Transfiguration – Summer Church on left
- – heat from bodies of animals helped heat home in winter
- 3rd stop – windmill that could be turned to direction of wind
- 4th stop – chapel w/bells that chime a tune
- – local man plays the bells
- – strings attached & manipulated by his hands
- – pretty amazing!
- 6:30 – back on board
- 7:15 – excursion update for tomorrow stop Mandrogi
- 7:45 – dining w/Chris & Norga – lovely couple from South Africa
- Start w/ “Taittinger Toast” before dinner
- – special thanks to our BA flight attendants!
- 10:30 – back to room
- Midnight night-night
What I DON’T LIKE
- Dinner just so-so again
- There is no sunrise & sunset!
- It’s light all the time now!
- 4 am wake up is getting a bit old
Flooded Krochino Church
FUN-fact – Lake Onega is 3861 square miles and the 2nd largest lake in Europe. Its sister lake Ladoga is twice the size.
More FF – Today’s scenery is thick forested pines on the edge of the rocky jagged coast line with loads of islands all in varying shapes and sizes that mirror the terrain.
More FF – The lake is fed by 58 rivers and has a total of 1369 islands.
FUN-travel: Goritsy & Kirillov – Day 7 – Uniworld River Cruise
July 11, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Goritsy & Kirillov – Day 7 – Uniworld River Cruise
Day 9 – Wednesday, July 9 – Goritsy & Kirillov – blue skies w/high, wispy clouds – low 80’s – turns cold later – sunrise 0’dark:30 – sunset – after 11 pm
What I LIKE
- 6:45 – typical morning wake up
- 8:30 – breakfast – fruit w/sandwich to go
- Turn in survey
- Suggest more food variety & flavor/spices
- 10:00 – arrive dock
- 10:30 – depart by bus to Kirillov
- Goritsy pop. only 600
- 10:45 – 1st stop – Belozerskiy Monastery
- one of biggest in north Russia Vologda region
- 10 churches & cathedrals inside walled fortress
- 11:45 – 2nd stop – wood working shop & restoration center
- Log houses are taken apart – rotten wood replaced & rebuilt
- Then taken apart again & moved to original location & rebuilt
- 12: 15 – 3rd stop – children’s art center
- See lace making & short performance
- 1:00 – 3rd stop – old house/museum
- Originally owned by town doctor
- Filled w/well preserved original furnishings over 100 yrs old
- Have tea & bread
- 1:15 – shopping – local market
- Stalls line both sides of walkway from ship
- Feels like 3rd world country
- $75 for knitted mink fur scarves
Mother Volga
- 2:00 – set sail for Kizhi Island
- 2:30 – lunch – salad bar & soup
- Mid-cruise survey response clearly heard
- Have added highlights – corn & bean salad
- 4:00 – Photo op – Krochino church
- Flooded when Volga was enlarged
- Thunder & lightning in distance
- Huge drop in temp & wind kicks up
- Nap time
- Late afternoon rain
- 6:15 – Excursion overview for tomorrow
- 6:30 – Vodka tasting – 3 different types
- Cranberry, traditional white & spicy (amber color)
- 7:15 – dinner – Butterfish w/spinach & polenta – very good!
- 11:00 – tired & don’t take sleeping pill
What I DON’T LIKE
- Really stretching to find excursions!
- Internet is slow & keeps dropping
- Probably why it’s free
- There is no sunrise & sunset!
- It’s light all the time now!
FUN-fact – The Vologda region is as big as the state of Florida or England proper.
More FF – Russia spans 11 time zones, 2 continents and ends less than 50 miles from the U.S.
FUN-travel: Yaroslavl & Cruising Lake Rybinsk – Day 6 – Uniworld River Cruise
July 10, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Yaroslavl & Cruising Lake Rybinsk – Day 6 – Uniworld River Cruise
Day 8 – Tuesday, July 8 – Yaroslavl & Cruising Lake Rybinsk – blue skies w/big puffy, white clouds – high 70’s – sunrise 0’dark:30 – sunset after 11 pm
What I LIKE
- 6:30 – wake up – typical routine
- 8:00 – arrive dock
- 8:30 – tour departs by bus
- 8:45 – 1st stop – puppet theatre
- Rather large collection of beautiful handmade puppets
- some over 100 yrs old
- performances encompass fairytales for children & dramas for adults
- 9:45 – 2nd stop – Church of Elijah the Prophet
- Masterpiece of Orthodox architecture
- Lavishly adorned 17th century frescoes
- Yaroslavl founded in 1010
- Called the “Florence of Russia”(clearly by Russian standards & not Italian!)
- City center is UNESCO World Heritage site
- 10:15 – free time
- Walk thru local market several blocks long
- filled w/everything from fresh food to clothing to electronics
- 10:45 – Russian beer break – Yarpeevo – 100 rubles =$3
- 11:10 – bus back to ship – 15 mins
- Find out we have twice the ship board credit than thought!
- 12:00 – set sail for Goritsy
- 12:30 – lunch w/pizza
- 3:00 – massage
- 4:30 – nap
- 6:15 – Uniworld Cocktail Reception for previous cruise passengers
UNESCO Site
- 6:45 – photo op – grand statue – Volga Mother
- Just outside of lock #9
- 7:15 – dinner – more just so so food & wine
- Eat with nice couple from South Africa
- Mid cruise survey left on bed
- 11:30 – take sleeping pill
What I DON’T LIKE
- City not nearly as pretty as Florence
- Food is too repetitive & not up to Uniworld standards on their ships
- Not real pizza – Russian idea of it
- Russian massage way different than ever had before
FUN-fact – The Rybinsk Reservoir was the largest manmade lake in the world at 1737 square miles when formed in 1941.
FUN-travel: Uglich – Day 5 – Uniworld River Cruise
July 10, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Uglich – Day 5 – Uniworld River Cruise
Day 7 – Monday, July 7 – Uglich – blue skies w/big puffy, white clouds – high 70’s
Frescoes
Transfiguration Cathedral
What I LIKE
- 7:00 – typical wake up routine
- No hurry!
- Tour doesn’t start until 4:30
- 9:00 – breakfast – swing out w/egg white omelet
- 10:00 – cruise overview lecture
- 1:00 – lunch – salad bar & soup
- 2:30 – room R&R – nap
- 4:30 – walking tour of Uglich
- founded in Middle Ages
- Uglich means angel
- Harbor offers picturesque panorama of architectural monuments
- 1st stop – Transfiguration Cathedral
- largest building w/5 domes visible from every part of town
- 2nd stop – Church of the Prince Dmitry-On-the-Blood
- 10 yr old son of Ivan the Terrible mysteriously died here
- church built where body was found
- filled w/magnificent frescoes floor to ceiling
- painted by finest imperial icon artists
- Fabulous Orthodox choir performance by 6 men
- Have nice stroll thru town
- 6:45 – back on ship
- 7:30 – set sail for next stop
- 8:00 – dinner
- Midnight – finally fall asleep!
Church of the Prince Dmitry-On-the-Blood
What I DON’T LIKE
- Waking up at 4 am and not falling back to sleep
Church Flooded by Volga
- Don’t want to keep taking sleeping pills
- Free internet is slow and drops a lot of time!
FUN-fact – Uglich is one of Russia’s Golden Ring cities. That recently coined term evokes a heroic distant past. Located northeast of Moscow, the Golden Ring is composed of some of Russia’s oldest cities.
More FF – We have gone through a total of 7 locks since we left Moscow.