The Canals of St. Petersburg
Exploring St. Petersburg by water. Â Taking a small barge through the canals was a way to see the city from a different prospective. We passed beside great palaces, churches, museums and government building. Here is another view of the Church of Our Savior on Blood.
The Winter Palace home to the Hermitage Museum
Early in the morning we cruised down the Neva River into the magical and historic city of St. Petersburg. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703 this city was and is the artistic and cultural center of Russia. Continue Reading…
Kizhi island is an open air museum consisting of 18th & 19th century log buildings and one of the stops on our Viking River Cruise. In one home a collection of antique samovars…a prize possession in every Russian household.
Preobranzhenskaya Church.
On day 8 we were still cruising north and moving out of the Volga River and into Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe, for our next stop this afternoon Kizhi Island. This morning as we moved further north the signs of late fall were ever present…the leaves on the Russian Birch trees had turned a delightful golden and the contrast with the white bark was a stark visual that had everyone reaching for their cameras. Continue Reading…
Cathedral of the Transfiguration
After three and a half days in Moscow we were moving on. After lunch our ship started moving up the Moscow Canal and into the Volga River. It was surprising how quickly the big city fell away and the rural countryside came into view. The ship glided along while I enjoyed the view from the deck. Occasional homes and a few fishermen dotted the banks, but for the most part the land was open country. Continue Reading…
