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Russia in 1994
Russia (2 Cruise)
Bec2004-09-20 18:01:44
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Trinity Lavra
The Trinity Lavra (important monastery) was founded in 1340 by Saint Sergius (patron saint of Russia) whose moral ascendancy united the country against the pagan Mongol Tatar rule. Closed by the Bolsheviks, it was reopened as the Zagorsk Historical Museum and residence of the Patriarch after WW II. It was off-limits for individual travellers in 1965 but I managed to come, disguised in a Russian overcoat and keeping my mouth shut, thanks to a Russian friend who accompanied me for the 75 km train ride from Moscow. This time, Sasha and I came quite openly by bus.
Rechnoy Vokzal
Having decided to go on a two week river and canal cruise to St Petersburg Sacha and I boarded the "Chicherin" at this Stalinist styled river boat terminal on the Moscow canal connecting the Moscow and Volga Rivers.
Chicherin
The Chicherin, a modern air conditioned 300 passenger river boat built in Germany to cater to the aparatnik class in Soviet times, had been privatised and made available to the tourist trade along with other river boats like the older one behind us.
The other passengers were all German except for a dozen senior anglophone Canadians who, having purchased their tickets in Canada, had paid twice as much as we had. On the boat we met the Russian teacher and hostess Tamara, with whom we got along particularly well, we stuck together and the three of us had a ball.
Cana
Locks on the Moscow-Volga, the Volga-Onega and the Volga-Don canals allow the transport of industrial goods from the northern Baltic sea all the way to the Caspian and Black seas in the south.
River traffic has always been important in Russia since the Viking penetration by longboats in the 9th century. By that time the great Slav expansion out of their home lands north of the Carpathians had taken place and the eastern Slavs occupied
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See photographs from:
Russia Gallery
