Day 15, 9/13/15. The Kremlin

Well this is our final full day. After breakfast we head back into the city center and tour The Kremlin. It actually is a walled city within Moscow that has been the seat of government off and on for 6 centuries. It was built as a fort and has been expanded several times and has stood as it is currently since the 17th century. The walls and towers were designed by Italian architects. The interior is full of cathedrals, palaces, museums and the seat of government. The history of the Czars, the Communists and of current day resonate from the buildings. President Putin's office is here as well as the helipad that he uses to come to work. There are beautiful gardens and vistas of the city. It's not at all what I had envisioned of inside the walls of the Kremlin.
This evening we had a farewell dinner with our pals and said our goodbyes to all our fellow travelers who we had the pleasure of sharing this great experience with.
 Experiencing Russia has been a wonderful.The people are delightful everywhere we've been. We are all very much alike. The history is so fascinating, even with all the excess of some of the czars and the way many treated their family members and citizens. The evolution of the government in the past 100 years is quite remarkable and there were many mistakes but today the way of life is quite good. And the beauty of the cities and countryside is just spectacular. I came here not thinking it was all drab concrete and people with sour faces but I

have been totally amazed at how beautiful, cosmopolitan and free this country is. Da Svsdanya!

Day 14, 9/12/15. Moscow

After a late night we sleep a little later. After breakfast we board our bus and are driven to the city. We have half a day to explore on our own. We walk through Red Square and see Lenin's

Tomb and the magnificent St. Basil's. Unfortunately there is a major event going on with grandstands and other structures temporarily occupying a large part of the Square so we don't get to experience the open square but it's still quite a site and experience. We team up with our pals Doug and Linda and venture into the subway and take it to Arbat St which is a long pedestrian street with lots of shops and restaurants. We stroll, have lunch and buy a few gifts. Then we take the subway back to the city center and stroll some more before boarding our bus and head back to the ship for dinner.
Later that evening we head back into the city center and take a boat ride cruising the Moscow River and several canals. The city is beautiful at night. Many buildings are illuminated as are the bridges and numerous fountains. A beautiful ending to a wonderful day. 

Day 13, 9/11/15

we spent the morning cruising the Volga and the Moscow Canal. Attended another lecture which was actually a Q&A on Russia Today. The 3 Guides who made up the panel were very open. 3 take a ways; the Russian people are very happy with life as it is today and don't want to turn the clock back to any previous era, our press really does a good job of painting a poor picture of our Country, they LOVE Putin!
 After lunch we board our bus to the center of Moscow. We drive to many historic spots and scenic areas. There is so much more to Moscow than Red Square. The city parts that we see are lovely with rows of beautiful architecture. We we take a ride on the fabled subway. The stop we we started at has the longest escalator in Europe. The station unfortunately is one of the most beautiful but every thing is clean and efficient. The subway cars are clean and the ride is comfortable. After our ride we walk the city streets along the Kremlin and Red Square. Red Square is closed for a festively but but we go back and tour it tomorrow. We go into the GUM Department Store which now is comprised off many individual stores. Very high end on the bottom floor, high end on the middle and Shortley end on the upper. It's huge and beautiful. After walking the area more we meet our bus across from the beautiful Bolshoi Ballet.
 After returning to the ship for dinner we head back downtown to attend a Clasical Folk Concert. The music is performed using Clasical Russian instruments such as the Balalaikas. The height of the performance is a classical tambourine performance by none other than Sue Shortley! She brought the house down!!

Day 12, 9/10/15. Uglich

We arrive in Uglich before breakfast and start our tour just after 8am. This is a smaller city of 28k people. Believe it our not our tour includes a church tour. This church is dedicated to St. Dmitry who was the last surviving son of Ivan the Terrible. Dmitry was sent here by his mother to escape house who didn't want Ivan's family reign to continue. Pour Dmirty did not live past 8 years old. There are several versions of his death, one being that he accidently fell on a sword numerous times severing his head. The likely reality is that Boris Gudunov ( yes Bullwinkle) had him executed so that he would maintain power.
 After our tour we visited a Russian family and were treated to a light meal, home made vodka and wonderful hospitality. We got a flyover for the everyday life of our hostess.
 After disembarking we are touring the Volga on our way to Moscow. We're off now

to the Captain's Farewell Recetion and Dinner. 

Day 11, 9/9/15. Yaroslavl

this morning we continue to cruise the Russian waterways until we dock at Yaroslavl. After breakfast we attend another lecture tha covers Russia from the revolution till 1985, Gorbachev and Perestroika. After lunch we visit Yaroslavl. This is a city of 600,000. It is very picturesque. Legend has it that it was founded in the early 11th century on the very spot where Prince Yaroslavl killed a bear. During our visit we tour the Governor's House and are treated to a concert and dancing were yours truly danced with two of the Governor's daughters. After our tour we spent time strolling the city streets and did a little shopping. We returned to the ship for a lovely dinner, a tour of the kitchen and lively conversation with our table mates, Linda, Doug, Sharon and Dick. Early night as we have an early dockage and tour in the morning.

Day 10, 9/8/15. Volga-Baltic Waterway, Goritzy & Kuzino

Today is a good deal of scenic cruising. The weather isn't the greatest so it's a good day to attend lectures, drink hot chocolate and of course eat! The lectures on Russian history are very enlightening and open. The lecturers are very proud of the country, its history and achievements. They are also very open about failures of the past. We are reminded that people across the world are very much the same on issues that are important to us such as family, health and access to food, education and shelter. While governments may have different agendas, people's wants, needs and even opinions are greatly the same.
This afternoon we dock in Goritzy and tour the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery that was founded in 1397. It is a large fortified complex of churches filed with beautiful icons $ frescoes. Afterward we visit a local school in Kirillov. We tour the classrooms and meet a teacher and a couple of students who get to practice their English interacting with us. Back to the for dinner and socializing.  Dobroye Utro

Day 9, 9/7/15. Lake Onega & Kizhi

This morning we had a delay because of fog. Our ship had to hold it's position for a few hours until the fog lifted. After the delay we docked in Kizhi which is a very small village on an island in the fiords of Lake Onega, Europe's second largest lake. Here we visit the Transfiguration Church built completely of wood without a single nail and boasting 22 timbered onion domes. We also visit the separate Winter Church, a home, sauna, garden and a very small chapel which is the oldest church in Russia. The families lived in their homes not only with all family members but for 8 months of the year with all their animals. We saw similar living arrangements in the caves of Matera, Italy. The arrangement of the living quarters are quite ingenious.We watched demonstrations of weaving and cutting of shingles for the church's and houses ( look at the left hand of the carpenter). This is a World Heritage Site with several of the buildings having been brought here as an open air museum.
Cruising tonight through 6 locks. Internet will be lost for awhile. Off to dinner. Da Svivanya

Day 8, 9/6/15. Lake Ladoga & Svir River

During the night we cruised across Lake Ladoga and onto the Sivir River this morning. Ladoga is Europe's largest lake. During the voyage on the river we went through two locks. We stopped at the village of Mandrogy and while there Sue and I painted Matryoshka Dolls. These are the famous "nesting dolls". It turned out to be quite fun, made more so by our host "witch". The day was lovely and the less hectic day was most welcome. We attended a couple of talks and Sue went to a Russian language class. Had a lovely dinner with our table mates and then off to bed for an early morning.