Maureen’s Russia and Scandinavia Adventure 2010
Saturday 29th May
Stockholm
Made it! Received no documentation at all for our trip from the travel agent until 4pm Thursday. That includes getting our passports back. Left for Brisbane airport 8am Saturday. I think they are thinking of renaming the travel agent "Scary Tours". Their spiel: "are you stressed to the max at work? Need a holiday? We,at Scary Tours make sure your stress will reach the stratosphere before you leave for holidays. That way,anything bad that happens on your holiday will not be so bad at all. What technique!
Anyway,had great flights. Can recommend Cathay and Finnair. Airport lounge in Hong Kong very ordinary. Wouldn't bother with it again.
Stockholm sparkled in glorious sunshine, with each little island looking like a little green jewel fromthe air. A little worry when our airport transfer was late, and when our hotel chastised us for being a day late! In actual fact,we had booked an early check in! They found us rooms miles apart from our friends,but the hotel is otherwise great.
The weather is just glorious. First day, 19C ,next day 14C.Perfect for walking in a light coat. Have explored the old town, Gamla Stan,inside out. Fantastic. Almost no graffiti. Everthing is squeaky clean, and nearly everyone has amazingly good English. Bitter lesson the first day. Went to Sweden House,the tourist office. Five minutes in a taxi - over $40!! Last taxi we will take! Good job I love Metros and walking. Walked around the New City. No high rise. Absolutely the whole city of 2 million people was out enjoying Sunday afternoon sunshine. The vibe was exhilarating.
We then went on a cruise of Stockholm. Simply magnificant. Had to make an unscheduled stop, and thought it unusual that police with holsters and pistols were escorting passengers (some in wheelchairs),on to our boat,from an adjacent boat. They had arrested the other captain for drink driving!!
Went up an elevator (Katarinahissen), 38m up the cliffs of Sodermalm. It has been running since the 1880s. Noticed that all restaurants in Stockholm provide patrons with blankets if they sit outside. So you see everyone swaddled in green blankets,then everyone next door in red blankets etc.,no problem with worrying about what to wear on a nice night out to dinner! You will look the same as everyone else,anyway.
Found a cheap pizza place near our hotel. Really nice bloke from Iran took incredible details of what we would like on our pizzas. Best pizzas ever!
Sweden wins brownie points for having restaurants open for dinner early - ie 6pm. Sure beats Italy,France, Spain etc. But,once again,they don't work too hard. Shops open 10am.offices too. Then they finish fairly early. It seems that almost everywhere we travel we find that Aussies work the hardest. And,we work all year round. In so many countries they down tools in the winter.what slackos.
Monday 31st May
Today we went on the hop on hop off boat a couple of times. So lovely. We went to Djurgarden island and spent a couple of hours seeing Vasamusset (Vasa museum). This houses a giant warship, which sank on it's maiden voyage in 1628. It capsized within minutes,killing 100 crew,largely because the king kept changing the design,ultimately rendering it unstable. The fresh water was fairly gentle on the ship,and it was raised in 1961,astoundingly intact.
We then went on a bus to Skansen,which is an open air museum of Swedish buildings,including farmhouses,as well as an aquarium and zoo. The live spiders and cockroaches were fascinating,as well as the European bison and wolves. The crocodiles were puny. And, oh,oh,...the tulips! Exquisite. There was so much to see and you could spend days there. We went on a boat that was an icebreaker. Barry and Mike were captivated by the words of wisdom esposed by the curvaceous Swedish guide on this ship. Like puppy dogs, Leah and I let them off the leash in her care while we had a good sit down and cold drink. What a struggle to tear them away from her lovely attentions.
Back to Gamla Stan (the old city),and a visit to the Nobel Prize museum. Spellbinding. They had to toss us out kicking and screaming when they closed. Wandered around through more postcard perfect streets and then went to a cutesy little restaurant, Osgota Kallaren, for dinner. Huge delicious meals. Cosy and well priced. Thanks again "Lonely Planet".
More of sensational Stockholm tomorrow.
Love to all,
Maureen.
Wednesday 2nd June
Talk about a brilliant day! Temporarily separated from Leah and Barry. They flew to Copenhagen. We set off for Central Station and the train to Lund,4 hours south of Stockholm. Warmer, and totally clear blue skies all day. Waited on our platform for some time, and then a train came along 15 minutes before our departure time. Found our allocated seats and settled in. As it pulled out of the station - 15 minutes early - I was heard by the whole carriage to say "shit..shit..shit". You guessed it. We were on an earlier train headed for the west coast. People were so nice. "shit" is the same in Swedish! We were able to get off 20 mins further on and join our real train. The conductor got off the train especially to wish us a good trip. They are all probably still talking about the idiots from Australia. Beautiful trip. No grass in the world is greener. So many pristine lakes and neat farmhouses. This certainly helped to cope with the American opposite me who holds the world record for sniffing and hawking more often and more loudly than anyone in history.
We were met at Lund station by Kristina who looks more beautiful than ever. Then did a walking tour with her, and had lunch in a cafe bathed in glorious sunshine, while student protests carried on around us. lund certainly has the livliness of a European university town.
Went to Kristina's place. Her husband,Johannes, had taken their 3 children for the day, and arrived home after a hat dress up day at school. Sat out in the green garden,having tea and cake. Then,Kristina drove us 40 minutes to Falsterbo,just across from Denmark,where Suzanne lives with husband,Per, and children. How do these girls do it? She also looked stunning. Had a lovely dinner with them, telling stories about when they were in Australia. Now, staying at Suzanne and Per's ,in the lap of luxury. Bliss.
love, Maureen
Thursday 3rd June
We are feeling way too lucky. Spectacular cloudless days,gentle sunshine and light breezes -again. Staying with Susanne,and her husband,Per,daughter,Ellen,aged 7,and son,Felix,aged 2, we had breakfast before going on a walk from their house. Sandy beaches,wildflowers,boats, bathing boxes,cows,windmills,nice houses, and very green grass. Just beautiful
Ellen is the perfect first child. Felix introduced himself by putting a pea way up his nose at dinner last night. Apparently,a first for him. After expert instruction in nasal pea removal by moi ,Per appeared triumphant after taking Felix into a more private place for execution of this indelicate operation. These Swedish fathers are just tops .
Chilled out at Susanne's house doing email etc., then went for a drive to the southern most beaches of Sweden. Felix had a bit of a cough but was very lively and totally taken with Mike. ?too sick for day care. He came with us.
Had a lunch of fried herrings -of course,and then went to Susanne's parent's house. So beautiful. Canola flowers glowing with golden blooms against emerald fields and deep blue skies. Such lovely homes. Grandad fed Felix chocolate cake and chocolate penquin ice cream. Top grandad, Alf. Lovely afternoon tea. Off to Malmo train station,so Ellen can be picked up at 4pm.
Then followed a truly spectacular farewell, as we pulled into the car park. Felix erupted,a la Icelandic volcano, with psychadelic chololate spew in a truly Hollywood performance. Encores followed. Last time Susanne experienced this with me, my kids were the star performers. What a hilarious farewell. Fellow car park patrons looked on with a mixture of sympathy and horror,as Felix was stripped and wiped. We smiled and fled to the train. Very smug.
We are very grateful to Kristina,Johann,Susanne and Per for their wonderful hospitality,and hope they can return again to AUSTRALIA:
On to Copenhagen,only 25 minutes across the waters strewn with wind farms. Dragged Mike,kicking,screaming and whinging around central Copenhagen. Can I swap him for vomity Felix? Met up with Barry and Leah over dinner and finished at the Ice Bar,at our hotel. You know the deal - you put on warm coats and drink out of glasses made of ice, on a bar made of ice. The room has furniture made of ice etc., Met nice people and had a good time.
A word on an unknown and horrifying human rights issue. In Sweden you can only buy alcohol from government owned grog shops (restaurants excepted. ) this can only occur until 6pm Mon to Fri. On Friday there are huge queues to secure a little bottle of wine for a weekend dinner party. You cannot be in a wine club and have your little case delivered.and so on.Has there ever been a more sinister and secretive violation of human rights? ... Rise up, I say! Stand up for your oppressed Swedish comrades.
I am on a mission,having had my anti superclinic letter published in the illustrious "Logan and Albert News".
Onward to Oslo in the morning, and meeting five other friends, to tour Norway. Someone,s gotta do it.
Love,Maureen.
Friday 4th June
Big day. Went to the airport on the very modern train. Perfect day in Copenhagen and lovely,low altitude flight to Oslo. Makes it easier travelling within the EU in many ways . Having totally different norwegian,Swedish and Danish kroner,makes it complicated.
Five more friends flew in from Australia. Met them at the hotel. Rose didn't receive any luggage. Bit of a worry. We get on a cruise boat tomorrow. If it does not arrive in the next day, she will only be able to buy souvenir clothes. Rose will be in all the photos in a moose shirt, reindeer hat,or maybe a cute folk outfit with a little tapestry bolero?
Went on a very comprehensive tour of Oslo,lasting 5.5 hours,initially with a boat,then a bus. Looked at the Opera house (can't beat Sydney, but very nice),and the Kon Tiki museum,and the viking ship museum. Boats over 1000 years old are pretty special. Went to Holmenkollen, the big ski jump venue. Must be terrifying to whizz down the giant chute. Big stadium attached. Also, an interesting ski museum. Beautiful views over Oslo.
The most stunning area (aside from Oslo's beautiful setting),was Vigelan Park. On such a beautiful day everyone was out enjoying the rare sunshine. There are masses of very well sculptured statues, representing humans in a range of emotions and ages. It is truly amazing. We also looked at histrical villages, and toured the suburbs and looked at important buildings. It was certainly an extremely varied and comprehensive tour. Norway is very wealthy. Lots of oil.
Then went to Norway's oldest restaurant, Stortorvets Gjaestgiveri. Great decoration and atmosphere. Mike had moose stew. I had roasted reindeer - tasted a bit like liver pate. Different.unusual. Nice.
By the way, Sweden is about to have it's first royal wedding in 30 years. Stockholm was gearing up for 2 million extra visitors soon. For a city of 2 million,that is really something. Everthing was spotless. Tents were going up everywhere. Princess Victoria is marrying her personal trainer, Daniel Westling. And, she could afford to pay for the training. You figure.. You could understand the rest of us thinking about all the gym fees we were saving!
Today, 5th June,we are doing " Norway in a Nutshell". We left Oslo at 8am, travel 5hours to Myrdal. Then on the famous Flam railway. On to a Fjord cruise,then a winding mountain road in a bus,before rejoining the train to Bergen. Over 12 hours of travel,and we have another day of perfect weather. Bliss.
Hope everyone at home is well,
love Maureen
By the way, princess Mary of Tasmania (now Denmark),was seen cruising in her limousine,in Stockholm
Sunday 6th June
Can you believe it? Another beautiful blue sky day. Cool and sunny. Walked around Bergen. So lovely in the sun and out of the breeze -it was around 15C. Young women everywhere lying on the lush green grass in bikinis. I was in a coat and beanie.
Our hotel,the Clarion H. Was magnificent. The best beds ever. We were upgraded. It was in the best position in town. Just so love Expedia,where I learnt about it.
We went up the funicular and enjoyed magnificent views. Had seafood soup which was very yummy. Enjoyed the tulips in flower and the quirky timber architecture. Some young girls even wore shorts- with thick tights on their legs.
We have sailed out of Bergen,past lovely islands. It is still light and it is 11pm.
More excitement tomorrow.
PS Rose now has her luggage! She is showing signs of extreme affection for my shoes - still. It's a worry. Love M.
Monday 7th June
Sitting in a comfy chair, looking out at blue skies, dense green foliage and glistening -in fact blinding - white snow capped hills. That was the start of today.
Did a sprint around Alesund, an Art Nouveau style town,rebuilt in 1904 after a fire.
This cruise is very good for our image. Compared to many on board,we are so young,and sometimes would like,but don't really need ...wheelchairs. Many on the boat actually need them.
We went on a big trip to the Geiranger fjord. 7 1/2 hours. Saw thunderously roaring rivers gleaming a baby blue. Wildflowers everywhere. Then,glorious mountains and lots of snow. Some in our group returned to childhood and had a snow fight. (OK,so none of us even glimpsed snow in our childhood - but you know what I mean). You should have seen the look on Darryl's face when he landed one a beauty - right in the lens of Barry's testosterone fuelled camera. Thank goodness for lens filters.
Had a wonderful French guide who was immensely informative. Also in English! Norway was a very poor country,then a genie appeared -or maybe a troll- called"oil". Now they are the richest in the world. All this since 1970.
Speaking of trolls,I am convinced that many here believe that Mike is indeed, a troll. This explains a lot. People rush up to him in the streets and want to be photographed with him. People like groups of young Russian naval cadets. Is this just a whole series of dares? Stay tuned for updates on this mystery behaviour.
Also,speaking of trolls,I discovered something truly shocking. Looking at a childrens story book in a shop, I read graphic details of how voluptious women who look drop dead sexy from the front, entice men in sordid ways. If you lift their skirt, you see their tails. So men should lift the skirts of all bare breasted women,just in case. Recommended for reading to children under 7 in Norway. Obviously, earns an "R" classification in Australia.
And,speaking of oil wells,did you know that the Norwegians sink them 5km deep and 1/3 of that again is above the sea? Wow. No wonder they are tricky to plug up.
Despite all this oil,petrol is around $2.75 a litre. Their GST starts at 25 per cent,and rises to several hundred per cent for alcohol and tobacco, and their income taxes start at 38 per cent. Of course,they make a bucket of money each to start with.
They also can,t retire till 67. Don't tell Kevvy and Tony that one.
Meeting lots of people and nearly everyone has been at least once to Australia. Our tourist offices are nowhere near as advanced as the rest of the world (my opinion),and a few of their stories support this belief. They have found it hard to get information and things organized. However, all of them have just loved our country and even us Aussies.
Great weather again today. Quieter day tomorrow.
Love Maureen.
Tuesday 8th June
Our first tiny sprinkes of rain. Arrived at Trondheim. Caught a taxi with Leah and Barry to the Ringve museum. Too early. Not open. Continued on in the taxi to the University. They churn out civil engineers, who then marry local girls and drag them to God forsaken holes. Thought of my friend, Janet. She walked that walk.
Trondheim seemed quite industrial. 145000 people and their airport sees five times that number of people through it.
Went to the main attraction - Nidaros Cathedral and the archbishops palace.
This has been a Lutheran-Evangelist church since the Reformation. As you know, we have "done" goodness knows how many churches before. I rate this one a 3 star. The Proddies simply do not do religious bling as well as the Micks. They had models showing how the church has changed since first built in 1150. Had a big fire in 1531,and they had to wait till 1898 for a visit from the team at "Backyard Blitz". They are pretty keen on Saint Olav,who ousted the pagan Norwegian gods, and brought Christianity to Norway. I suppose it is really a Basilica, because Saint Olav's bones are in the Cathedral. His symbol was an axe! I suppose that's logical. The American churches today are really big on guns. There was a silver crucufix weighing 70kg donated in 1930 by Norwegions who emigrated to the USA. Also an organ built by Wagner.
In the Archbishops palace, we saw royal crowns,studded with jewels. The war museum had the usual guns,swords, cannons and uniforms.
walked back to the boat. Spent a quiet afternoon,eading,napping,and watching limestone hills in the skerries pass by.
Carole and Darryl hosted drinks and nibblies in their room,having nicked cheeses,grapes and crackers from the lunch table.
It is now 10pm and the sun is still high.a bit extreme for my liking.
Love Maureen
Wednesday 9th June
Crossed in to the Arctic circle early this morning. Not too cold - 7C. max. In the breeze,it certainly chills.
Went on an excursion to the Svartisen glacier. Second biggest in Norway. Looked very blue and very clean. The Fox and Franz Josef in New Zealand have lots of glacial morraine. Messy. Cloudy morning,clear afternoon. They offered glacial cocktails,chilled with ice from the glacier. Even I have not descended to drinking at 10am.
Saw huge sea eagles -2.5 metre wingspans. They used a syringe to inject air into some cod, so they floated, and threw them into the water to attract the birds. Lovely sandy beaches,with one big dune ,a la Moreton island. Snow capped hills, and crystal clear water.
We had traditional cakes,coffee,and fruit.
Saw many isolated communities . Pristine environment.
Boat stopped at Stamsund and then Svolvaer. Quick walk around the distinctive architecture. Brisk,clear air.
Have just had a midnight sail into a very deep,very narrow fjord. Captain showed off his skills by turning the boat around with 2 metres to spare against the rock walls. Blue skies and some clouds.Yes,I said midnight. Staff dressed up as trolls and hammed it up,while the chef dished out troll soup on the top deck. Wish the cabin had thick curtains. This 24 hour daylight is a bit distracting.
Met bloke on boat who lives in Coopers Camp Rd, a few doors from my brother,Brendan. Small world. So many languages spoken on the boat.Most have a little English. Have taxed my brain trying to speak Italian and German.
Bye for now,
Maureen
Thursday 10th June
I'm writing to the Pope. These blokes running the Church have no idea. Here, in Scandinavia, they charge six or seven dollars to see churches that are so ordinary,we have better in Brisbane. Take the Arctic Church today in Tromso,for instance. The chapel at Stuartholme is similar,but better.
Having seen spectacular churches, probably now numbering hundreds, throughout Spain, France,Germany,and especially,Italy, all on show for no charge at all, you have got to be quite horrified by the lack of business acumen at the Vatican. If the Cattletick church charged only a couple of dollars to enter each of it's masterpieces, we would solve world poverty. They obviously need a few housewives running the show at the Vatican.
Anyway, we finally had some light showers today. Did not bother us much. Slept in,had a late breakfast. Not my usual sort of day,or even holiday. Spent 4 hours in Tromso. Went to the Arctic church, and the Polaris. Interesting building. On the outside it looks like a pack of rectangular cards falling down. Saw bearded seals doing tricks. Big 275 kg seals! Lots of amazing anemones,crabs and fish swimming around. Also saw a nice film. Went on one of those little tourist trains around the city,then strolled to the Polar Museum,which was due to close.
The Norwegians seem into a bit of whaling, and selling lots of pelts. Fancy some fur seal slippers? Or even a male vital organ warmer? I think Australia should include Norway in our court action. Gotta be fair.
There was a baptism ceromony on top deck this morning. King Neptune visited and did the honours. This involved having a number of ice cubes stuffed right down the back of your shirt as you knelt before him. Too much suffering for my liking. The prize was a nip of schnapps. At 10.30 in the morning!
Food on board is good, and crew are very helpful. As the ship is the coastal steamer,we have a constant procession of cars,cargo, and people on short trips. We are the privileged upper class,with nice cabins, and a nice dining room.
Cheers to all from your correspondent in the Arctic circle,
Maureen
Friday 11th June
We are definitely the luckiest people on the planet. Blue skies,no breeze and mild temperatures today for our cruise and excursion to North Cape. This is the most northern point on continental Europe. Apparently, 99 per cent of the time, it averages 60 km per hour winds,dense fog and driving rain,and snow. For about one minute,it suddenly snowed,then,hey presto -it was brilliant sunshine. A photographers dream. Two reindeer for each human. Sami culture,melting snow and shoots of greenery peeking from the bare earth.
We are very surprised at how many towns and villages survive in the harsh climate. Fishing,gas,oil,and tourism help. The people are said to be heavy drinkers. Our local guide defended them. Apparently,in winter, they only drink after dark....right!
It has all been great,and we are now experts on midnight sun and trolls.
Very tight plane connections tomorrow. We are supposed to arrive in Kirkenes at 10.45 ,catch a bus to the airport,and be on an 11.30 plane to Oslo. Then,we have only 1hr 20 mins to get seat allocation and be on a plane to Moscow! The boat has frequently been 20 minutes behind schedule,on this voyage. All sounds tricky!
Our group has been terrific fun. Barry,Leah,Darrly,Carole,Jan,Rose and Keith are tops. It will get even better in Moscow,when Bob and Gay join us. We have travelled with most of this group previously,and are very fortunate to have their company.
Stay tuned for more exciting adventures. (for us,not poor you).
Maureen
Saturday 12th June
Had a little celebration out on the deck last night. Everyone brought their bath towels to wave at a passing ship from the same company. Danced a bit etc., Have met a number of nice people,and certainly practised some German.
We nicknamed our vessel,the Nordnorge,the Nudge Nudge. Say no more. Very nice.
It is always difficult to adjust to the European habit of pushing. We Aussies are so used to politely waiting our turn. It is just normal behavior here to push your way in a crowd.
A grumble is overdue,so I'll do my best:
Jan is not too well today. I started to be a bit feverish,and get a sore throat ,sore ears,and a cough a week ago in Oslo.Starting to improve now.. Mike started with only the sore throat yesterday. Apparently, it is 1000 times worse than the one I had,and it doesn't count that I have had a pouring nose as well as a gut wrenching cough. Of course,I'm oozing sympathy. As usual.
Jan,however,is not a well woman,and she is vomiting and looks ghastly. I was very lucky that I was only queezy. Naturally, we all blame Felix. Are you reading this Susanne? He is way too young to defend himself,and we have to admit, he did not complain at all when he was sick. This gives us the right to whinge twice as much.
We are now on a plane,from Kirkenes,in the very north of Norway,to Oslo. So I am even sorrier for Jan,who is spending the whole flight in the loo.
Norway is similar to Australia in that so much of the country is not arable,and is very remote and uninhabited. Like at home,the doctor visits many areas once a week if you're lucky. And these are reasonable towns, of say 1000 people. We are flying over countless hectares of rocky hills,with melting snow and big puddles of water in rockpools. The snow pattern looks like a giant jersey cow.
Sometimes, the organization and attitude in Norway is a bit too Australian. Some of us have had our bags supposedly checked through to Moscow. Others were told that if staff did this,our bags would not go to Moscow,but would be returned to Kirkness,while we arrived in Moscow. Yet another story was dished out to more in our group:
We could only check through to Oslo, and then must collect our bags, and check in again to Moscow. Stay tuned and find out the real answer. Makes Qantas look really,really good. Qantas have an unusual thing called "staff training".
3.30 pm.
No bags arrived for Mike,Barry, Leah and myself in Oslo.Here's hoping we will find them in Moscow. Jan has picked up. Not as deep a shade of green. In Oslo,Aeroflot was not too bothered about seat allocation to Moscow,and blithely told us the flight was overbooked. Yawn. Also late. Yawn. Even on Scandinavian Airlines, they couldn't care less when other people sat in Barry and Leah's allocated seats. Loving Qantas more every day.
A little surprised when the security scanner beeped at me,necessitating a frisking. Even more surprised when the bloke grabbed the back of my bra and gave it a big "ping",then checked the underwires! Can never think on my feet. If I had been fast, I could have pinged him in certain places. But, as you know,I have never been a fast woman.
Have now perfected the art of eating airline meals with shoulders hunched inwards and arms crossed over. As you do when those either side of you take over all the armrest,the aisle and the gap,next to the window, plus some of your seat. Then,the sheila in front propels her seat at rocket velocity into your lap. In retaliation, I snivelled and coughed all the way to Moscow. Two can play this game.
Wonder of wonder,miracle of miracles -everyone has their luggage! 28C in Moscow and smog blue skies. As expected for a city with a core population of 10.5 mill and 14.5 inluding the burbs.
Gay and Bopb wereon the boat to meet us,and the "Viking Peterof" seems great.
Sunday 13th June
Went on a tour of Moscow. Guide sounded like a New Yorker on speed. No emotion. No theatrics. So many stunning buidings,it was hard to digest,.Saw the Novodevichij convent,and so many parks and gardens. Sudden shower of rain. Went on the famous subway. It really is the most beautiful in the world. We've travelled on quite q few.
Then on to the Chuirch of St Basil, the Kremlin,Red Square,and the Gum dept store.
Later,we spent the evening at a cultural concert. Expecting something ordinary. It was extraordinary.what talent!
Meeting lots of nice people and loving everything.
Love Maureen
Monday 14th June
Impressions of Moscow so far: Certainly it is cleaner,greener,and more wealthy than we imagined. Viking river cruises are so far excellent. Getting used to all of the Cyrllic script everywhere,including Maccas. Lots of signs for Volvo,Mercedes,Ferrari etc., and of course,the globalized Calvin Klein, Louis Vuton, etc..... And beggars. We saw numbers of illegal immigrants,standing on the road sides leading out of Moscow,trying to get cash jobs. Much like the rest of Europe. Considering how tight the visa entry conditions are, compared to much of the world,this is a little surprising.
Everywhere,Capitalism is booming. Nuclear reactors twinkle in the evening. You can also have private health insurance,and private University.
It was explained that doctors are poorly paid, and were not considered to be up there with the middle class.
Overwhelmed by Moscow's 2500 historical and architectural monuments and massively wide streets.. And that's after the destruction in WWII. I think Brsbane's total monuments number five,stretching it a little.
Today,I went to Sergei Prosad,the Holy Trinity complex, in Lavra. This is 70 km out of Moscow. It is the centre of the Russian Orthodox Church,much like Vatican City to the Catholics. They did not make foreigners wear a head scarf, but all of the Russian Christians did. Under Communism religion was "discouraged". In other words,you could attend one of the churches not destroyed by the state (and thousands were), but you would never get promotion,or possibly,a job. You would be financially penalised as well. I am rather surprised that all of our guides have been openly extremely critical of Communism. That 's the difference between Russia and China these days,where you would cerainly be "reeducated" for such comments.
Anyway, Sergei Prosad celebrated St Sergei,(nee Vladimir), and he was buried there. He made a military pact with the Byzantine Emperor, which stipulated his baptism to Christianity. It is said that he liked his drink,so had to rule out a pact with Moslem nations. So Russia adopted Christianity in 988,and Cyril brought the Cyrillic alphabet from Byzantium to Russia.
Sergei Prosad has a number of beaut iful churches, packed with icons,incense and candles. Monks and priests a plenty,although they claim there is a shortage.
Meanwhile,the blokes in our group (plus Gay) went off to the war museum ,and some of the ladies went back to the city centre. Gay and Rob went to do a proper tour of the convent we saw yesterday,and it's famous grave yard.
Did a tour of Moscow by night. Started at 10pm. Nice, Same stuff,but lit up. Met really nice Americans and some George Bush t ypes at dinner.ie : all Palestinians deserved to be bombed,starved etc., Will avoid them and stick to the ones with brains.
hope all is well at home.
M.
Tuesday 15th June
Drizzly day,but did not interfere with activities much.
"Did" the Kremlin fairly throughly. Typical of walled 13th century European cities,except very elaborate. Massive cobbled square,almost as big as the one outside the walls. Six Greek orthodox cathedrals in the complex. Mega elaborate. Like doing the ABC tour of western Europe.(another bloody cathedral). Except full of Orthodox icons. Some done by Italian architects. Guide much better, but still major information overload. Also saw a Turkish Ottoman treasure exhibition. The Kremlin is very impressive.
Have met some lovely Americans and two tea party couples who hate the fact that the President of the USA is black. Nothing about whether he is doing a good job or not. They also tell us, other doctors in the world can't measure up to the USA. They know this,because they have met doctors who told them so. Certainly,wasn't going to bother telling them what I did for a living. Not that they would have been interested. It was all about them mouthing off, yet contradicting themselves. They told us what experts they were (in insurance, and teaching). It does'nt matter if the poor are bankrupted by health bills etc.,you know the type : have an opinion on everything, and are right about everything, and sure do not want to hear anything different. They pride themselves on their superior "family values",and obviously look down on many in their country. The
Americans at the next table were furious, and embarrased,and nearly puked. Nice to own all the moral high ground for the whole world Quotefrom the next table:"see what we are up against!" Know who to avoid now. Closed minds are so boring.
My nun radar is as accurate as ever. Spotted one straight away on the cruise,even though she is in civvies. Nice lady. Wants to understand other religions more. On this trip, wants to gain something from the Russian Orthodox church. Sounds like someone with an open mind!
Sailed down the Moscow canal this afternoon. Will go through 18 locks,down 160 metres,by the time we arrive in St Petersburg,in a week. We are going through some massive lakes. There are 2 million lakes in Russia, and 120,000 rivers!
Unfortunately,the food on board this cruise is exquisite. Not out of place on a Masterchef final. Austrian chef. The staff on board are also just fantastic. Great to be with 9 wonderful friends.
more tomorrowlove, Maureen
Wednesday 16th June
Sailing through the Moscow Canal and lots of locks this morning, then along the Volga.(Of course,nicknamed by us "The Vulgar".
Docked in Uglich for 4 hours of sightseeing,this afternoon.
Dates from the 10th century. Ivan the Terrible died in 1584, and his son Dmitry moved here,with his mother.
What happened when poor little 8 year old Dmitry was asked to look up to see something? You guessed it. The bad man chopped his head off. Of course,the inquiry found that his neck had fallen on the knife during an epileptic fit. Yep, I thought that was a porky, and so did Dmitry's groupies. They murdered a dozen Moscow people in retaliation. So the Moscow lot banished a whole lot of the Uglich people to Siberia, and.....wait for it. They took the Uglich Church BELL, ..yes bell, and whipped it with a dozen lashes, and pulled out it's tongue. Naughty bell. Quite creative,arent't they? It went to Siberia with them,and paid for the heineous crime of sounding an alarm,alerting the town to Dmitry's death.
Anyway, Dmitry qualified to be a Saint,and the bell recovered nicely, and they built the Church of St Dmitry on the Blood at the site of the murder. It's very nice,too. And we thought Mary McKillop had it tough graduating as a Saint.
As for Dmitry's mother, she was justly charged with child neglect, and sentenced to a hideous,cruel punishment. Yes,folks,she was forced to join a convent. Sends shivers down your spine,doesn't it?
There were the usual well done icons, and frescoes,depicting Adam and Eve,creation etc., Well done,but Michaelangelo is not under threat. We also saw the Church of the Transfiguration,with similar decor,but more elaborate.
We were taken to a short concert,featuring 5 male singers. Unbelievably good. Bought their CD. Love CD souvenirs. I put them on when cooking dinners for the week on a Sunday,and it brings back the memories of our wonderful holidays.
Feel like singing along now the "Song of the Volga boatmen". yo Ho Heave Ho..Yo Ho Heave Ho ..OK I'll stop now!Uglich is famous for watchmaking,and masses of souvenir stalls.
Have banned Mike from talking politics to Americans. He slept in, and missed breakfast,as it no longer had appeal,without a good fight to start the day.
Love to all,
Maureen.
Thursday 17th June
Started today touring around Yaroslavl,another Golden Ring City. It is celebrating it's 1000 year anniversary. So, established in 1010,it has had a 2 billion rouble grant to restore buildings etc. For $700,000 they seem to have excellent value for money. Everything is clean,freshly painted,full of flowers, and graffiti free. There are many kms of wide,wide,streets,with huge avenues of trees with 15 metre walkways down the centre of the streets. They are restoring churches like mad.
Yaraslovyl is on a site where ,each year,a local lad was chosen to fight a bear. If the bear won,it was considered bad luck for the next year and visa versa.
Went to a typical Russian lacquer box sales outlet. The authentic kind - made out of layers of paper mache,then fine art work and layers of laquer. Nice work.
Getting to the stage of being over frescoes and icons,but have to admit that the Church of Elijah the Prophet was well preserved,and well done. Recently,winter temperatures were minus 37 fairly consistently. This preserves the icons,and probably everything else in town.
Had a walk along the river past more churches. Lovely avenues,and huge walking paths again.
Then did the markets. Tomatoes on steroids. Or maybe the result of Chernobyl fallout. Weighing scales,vintage 1950.
Once again,we found that the town railway station was palatial..a la Lenin.
Finally,we noted that Yaroslavyl is famous for producing vodka.
Sailing up the river this afternoon,admiring the scenery,doing Russian lessons,and recovering from another great lunch. Talk about a tough life!
Love, Maureen
Friday 18th June
Today, is our most relaxing day. Cloudy days mostly until now. But today is very sunny. Up to 19C but the wind chill factor can make it perishingly cold.
Topography is still very flat,and the grass very,very green. Wildflowers,birch and pine trees. Boat houses along the river,and some very nice residences. The pastures are lush,but no grazing animals are to be seen. There are huge barges on the muddy river,with little cargo.We are travelling through the White Lake area. It is 1140 square kms in area and the ecology has been damaged by construction of the Volga-Baltic sea waterway,which caused flooding of the river banks.
After breakfast,we docked in Goritzy. A tiny town,but near the Kirillov-Belozersky Monastery. St Cyril established this in 1397. Sounds like he was a very busy bloke. It is huge. It is on the shore of Lake Siverskoye.More churches were added to the site in the 15th and 17th centuries. Darryl,Bob and Keith could hardly wait to see more frescoes and icons.
You need to be a man,usually a monk,to paint icons. Also,you need to have totally fasted for 3 full days. This catabolic state of extreme hypoglycaemia explains a lot.
The good news:You do not have to be responsible for a number of miracles to be canonized a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church.
The bad news: you need to be a poor innocent victim who is murdered by the baddies. So it is not a great career option.
As you enter the monastery,you can be absolved of one sin. Our group made enquiries as to where each of us could obtain a multi-entry ticket.
The people in Goritzy spend 9 months of the year hanging out for summer. When it comes,with top maximums of around 17C and breezes with cyclonic tendencies,they wonder why they looked forward to it. All of the lakes freeze solid most of the year. They preserve the meagre variety of crops in the short summer, to sustain themselves the rest of the year.
Especially mushrroms. There are 2 varieties. The ones you eat many times, and the ones you eat only once...
Again,we were entertained by singers. This time,trained exclusively in church music. Rose said it sounded like the church music in her birth place,Wales. Certainly,the voices were tops.
Phone and internet access is very difficult,and Mike is in a state of extreme withdrawal. Sleeping a lot to avoid confronting this terrifying reality.
The food remains overwhelming in quantity and quality. A horrible state of affairs.,We all seem to recovering nicely from our viruses,so our appetites are generally too good.
Every day on the boat,there are optipns for Russian language lessons,and history lessions. Today we "did" Mikael Gorbachev. They reckon he claimed credit for stuff that just happened,and he did not really implement. Did good stuff, and dithered around more than he should have. Caused needless suffering. Like most Presidents and world leaders.Now some are better off under Capilalism,and some worse off. As you would expect. At least,now,there is relative freedom of speech.
Our waitress has a Uni degree in Economics. Not much different to Australia!
Love to all,
Maureen
They make wooden furniture, and silver jewellery.
Saturday 19th June
Glorious day. Wind has dropped, and sunny.
Had a masterclass in cooking,this morning with our cute Austrian chef. That is,those of us who did not go to the vodka tasting last night. It apparently was not so much the vodka which caused the problem . The rum chasers sealed the fate of those involved. Not mentioning any names,but C,K. And D were pretty sick this morning. Especially the first two party animals. I have to say:the Americans were polite, even the tea party people with their perfect "family values"were quiet. Probably speechless. They toned it down at 1am and hit the sack at 2am. The rest of us have been busy flaunting our moral high ground today. Until we surrender it tomorrow,anyway.
Loved the Austrian chef. And his team of 16 in the ship's kitchen. Not to mention his tucker demo. By the way, has Marion or Jonothan won masterchef yet? My bet was on Marion.
Russian language lessons continue, and we had a tour of the bridge,which was very interesting. The ship is immaculately maintained.
After the usual 100,000 calorie lunch,we arrived in Kihzi,a UNESCO site.
The church of the Transfiguration,is made of wood,without nails. Built with an axe.They are restoring the buildings, and we saw them making shingles. They have a bell tower,and summer and winter church. Darryl,Keith and Barry were so excited to see more icons.
There are many other wooden historical buildings on Kihzi Island,and we had a lovely walk investigating them.
Wildflowers everywhere emitting their glorious perfume.
Someone told someone that I am a medico. Not thrilled. If she wasn't so nice,I would spill the beans on the Catholic nun,and she could solve everyone's spiritual problems. Fair,s fair. Love, Maureen
Sunday 20th June
Yesterday, we cruised through Lake Onega, Europe's second largest lake. Today we are sailing along the Svir River,through Lake Ladoga,Europe's largest freshwater lake,at 7000 square miles. It is near the Finnish border,and is iced up 6 months of the year.
This morning,we stopped in the very,very,touristy village of Mandrogy. Leah's foot was not too good so she enrolled in a Marrioshka painting class. Barry, Mike and I spent the time walking,and feeding giant mozzies,despite lots of clothes draping our bods. Very interesting cross river ferry operated by one person power. A single man walks around and around, to wind the cable!
C. Did damage at the shops. Not too sure about the others, but I expect Keith, Bob and Darryl were desperate to see more icons.
In the evening,we Aussies did a rousing rendition of "Waltzing Matilda" at the talent quest. The audience joined in the chorus enthusiastally. C,D,K,R,J and B refused to participate. Very unpatriotic. I joined the Russian choir,after gruelling practice sessions that afternoon. Our nun, Terisita,must be a concert pianist in her normal life. She accompanied us,on hearing " w matilda" only briefly. Such a talent. Also,she played Chopin,for his 200 Anniversary. Like the best!
We did more Russian political history in the afternoon. V. Putin's time. The tea party people don't come to any of the talks,in case they have to think.
Also,the boat video photographer presented his documentary of the cruise so far. Very well done. Comprehensive. Hilarious at times.
Tomorrow,we arrive in St Petersburg, for a very busy 3 days.
Cheers,
Maureen
Monday 21st June
St. Petersburg has 56 fine days a year. Today is one of them. T shirts and no jumpers. Finally. In May,the city swarms with mossies. These are now totally gone,and fluffy white seed pods fill the air, and make white piles of psedo snow in the streets. In July,it is unbearably hot.so,in short,we aced it.
St P is a truly overwhelming city. So many glorious buildings,monuments,churches,shops,wide streets,flowers,green,green grass and trees. Wide rivers,elegant canals,and full of colour. Very European. Peter the Great founded it on the Neva River,in 1703.to get up the noses of the Swedish. He did not want it to be boring,like Paris!! So the magnificent buildings are colourful,and much use is made of pink granite,more colourful in the rain.
After 1800 kms on the river,since we had our 3 days in Moscow,we are moored for 3 more days in St P. This is the home of Pushkin,Tchaikovsky, Trotsky. One million of it's residents perished under the German occupation in WWII. Today,4.6 million live here.
Our city tour was dazzling,and tonight,we are going to see "Swan Lake",at the Theatre of Musical Comedy. When I read the name of the theatre,I thought Barry and Mike were performing,but apparently not. Didn't see any icons today, so Darryl,Keith ,Bob and Barry were mighty disappointed.
Love,
Maureen
Tuesday 22nd June
Swan Lake was nice, but not perfectly executed. Debbie Larcombe would have been a bit critical,as she strives for her pupils to reach the heights of perfection.. As you all know,we Logan City Bellydancing divas are unsurpassable. The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra accompanied. They were exceptional.
Passing our local nuclear reactors this morning,as usual, we went to Tsarskoye Selo including Catherine's Palace. Unbelievable, and expertly restored.. It is 300 years old this year,and suffered considerable damage during WWII. The exquisite Amber Room was totally plundered by the Nazis in the war. A little of the original has been bought back, and a German gas company paid for much of the restoration. It has to be seen to be believed. Each room is breathtaking,as is the immaculate and stunning exterior and grounds. Having seen Versailles, Schonbrunn in Vienna,and a number of other top royal digs, I am now difficult to impress. Catherine's Palace did it for me. She was only a commoner,too. There's hope for the Logan City lassies yet. Wish she had let the rest of us in on her secret. In the beginning, she was a gift,or commodity, handed around amongst the hoi polloi,and eventally "given" to Peter the Great. Within 8 years,she was Empress. Catherine was illiterate, and only into jewellery,grog,clothes and what men want. It certainly worked for her.
Her daughter, Elizabeth, engaged an architect to do a new,improved palace,from 1744 to 1756 on the site. And Elizabeth was the ultimate high achiever. Wow!
Peter the Great's name keeps popping up all the time. As you would expect in a city founded by him. He seems to have been a conscientious chap,doing a good job. All these high achievers seem a bit wierd, though,don't they? He was no exception. If you were naughty, and did things like embezzle state funds,you could weasel out of going to Siberia if you appealed to his fetish. You see, Peter was a frustrated dentist. Yes, I did say dentist. Even if your teeth felt fine,you could just spin him a yarn about a toothache. Nothing made him happier than pulling teeth. (except Catherine,or flogging the Swedes in battle). If he pulled your tooth,you were usually pardoned. Apparently, there were some very toothless people amongst his mates, in the end.
In the afternoon,we visited the Hermitage. It started to rain,so inside touring was the go. Largest collections of Rembrants outside his native land. There are 15000 paintings and 3 million items. 10,000 cameos alone. South Bank has a bit of catching up to do.
The Hermitage is composed of 5 buildings,dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Started with the Winter Palace section,former residence of Russian Czars, and battled shocking crowds through the rest. There was great,somewhat aggressive) scuffling in front of (of all things) a tiny Madonna and child by Rembrandt. Average visitor numbers per day are usually 15,000. Felt like way more today.Always thought a hermit was a loner, and so a Hermitage should be pretty empty?
There was some good stuff with famous names like Matisse and Michaelangelo. There was a whole room of portraits which seemed to be an exhibit of people who had sucessfully sued their hairdresser. It was very obvious,and oh! So disappointing to again realise that I was born at the wrong time. A couple of hundred years ago, I would have been considered to have a perfect figure. What a bugger!
There was a portrait of one nice looking lady,said,by the artist, to be over 900 years old. No mention of the name of her plastic surgeon.
We finished up by taking a couple of photos in the main square. Tonight,we are going to a cultural show. Cossacks and all that. Busy,busy.
Darryl,Jan,and Rose skipped The Hermitage. Darryl was following the World Cup. He will be relieved to hear that we only saw a dozen icons,so he does not have to fret about missing out too much.
Love to all,
Maureen
Wednesday 23rd June
Last whole day in St Petersburg. The Cultural show last night was fun,and packed with energy. Oh! To be a fraction as fit as they are. Barry was picked out of the audience to dance with the strong Russian women. You don't say no. He put in a commendable performance,but needed CPR on returning to his seat. They oiled the performance with vodka. As usual. And a few beautiful Russian girls.
Went to the Peterhof Palace. Very elaborate,as usual. In particular, it is noted for it's gardens with glorious fountains. The grand cascade and water avenue has over 140 fountains and canals.
After early morning cloud, we had perfect weather, and St Petersburg looked more beautiful than ever. It truly is a stunning and interesting city.
We left our group at the Peterhof Palace, and caught a hydrofoil for the 30 minute ride across the Baltic and down the Neva river into the city centre.
Took some more photos in the massive square near the palace again, and headed off on foot to the Yusupov Palace,where Rasputin was murdered. The Yusupovs were actually Turkish,so there was a real Turkish style to the decor. They had their own theatre,seating about 150,and it was very impressive,in fact,totally dazzling. Performances are still held there. Talk about the final answer to "media rooms"! It was really nice to have room after room in the palace to ourselves,dodging the group tours,and just doing the audio tour. Most of the people on our cruise are lovely, but there are a couple of rude, aggressive,and probably mad passengers.
After the Yusupov Palace, we went on a marathon walk around the city along 3 of the canals,the main street, and all sorts of alleys. Mike was a total wreck by the time we arrived to meet a group from the ship for a boat canal tour.I took a photo of him outside "The Idiot Restaurant", and he felt he was one after agreeing to the marathon.
We saw some of the same buildings on the boat tour,plus so much more. Such a great afternoon!
We are now back on a bus heading for the last night on our boat,and our last night in Russia.
Cannot praise Viking River Cruises enough. Thy dotted every "i" and crossed every "t". The tours were great,and the whole programme was balanced and well thought out. At times,the guides were a bit overwhelming with the volume of information provided,but that beats the opposite approach. The food would have to be the best on any cruise,anywhere. Even today, when we decided that the two of us would do our own thing,and not be on the ship for lunch,they provided a huge boxed lunch for us to take. We have never come across such through cleaners. Our rooms were immaculate, and the mid level cabin that we chose was more than adequate.
Tomorrow,we are catching a bus to the central St P. Rail station,where we will catch another bus to Estonia! Said goodbye to Bob and Gay tonight. They are heading off in other directions. Should be interesting for all of us.
love,
Maureen.
Saturday 26th June
Arrived more than 3 hours early at the airport. Nothing was open, and we were certainly the first checked in. Better than late.
Great flight.best ever. Mike had one of the only spare seats beside him. I was across the aisle with small Chinese woman next to me. Only time I have ever slept on a flight. Not being totally squashed really helps.
The others are staying at an expensive hotel around the corner. We are happy at the Kowloon. We have harbour views,a bath tub (Gay would like that),robes,slippers,fruit etc., so very happy.
Weather is appalling. Solid rain. We have been so very lucky up to date, so what the heck!
Barry and Leah leave tomorrow,and the other five leave Tuesday. We leave close to midnight on Monday.
We have been incredibly lucky with our huge holiday, and work will be a big shock.
Love to all,
Maureen
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