Back to Russia, Part I: St. Petersburg to Moscow

By Arnie Greenberg
Contact Arnie at
ultours@gmail.com

(The Dr. Zhivago, the canal boat above, made for a very comdortable tour)

After a long flight from Canada, we landed in St. Petersburg. I had waited almost 30 years to return.

My return to Russia was an eye opener. Our cozy Neptune Hotel on a canal was inviting, and our hotel dinner was worth waiting for. You see, I have a special interest in Russian food. I had grown up with those special flavors, and now I was back where the tastes and smells were similar.

Traffic Everywhere

In the morning we were ready to visit this wonderful city I thought I'd remembered. But there was a shock and it had to do with traffic and street advertising. Back in the seventies all you saw were a few black government cars and old green taxicabs. Now the traffic was everywhere, and the taxis were often BMWs or Mercedes.

(Of course, while there are modern BMW's and Mercedes automobiles in St. Petersburg, the city wouldn't be the same without its classic troikas)

The differences far outweighed the similarities, yet I wasn't really surprised. The world has changed and the old Soviet Union has been splintered and now gleams with a new coat of paint. But that doesn't mean it's modern, gleaming and upscale. On the outside there are modern changes. Behind closed doors there is still room for improvement.

Touring St. Petersburg on a Canal Boat

Touring on a canal boat is something one does in St. Petersburg. There are many canals and many opportunities to get close to the inner city without cars all around you. While I enjoyed the serenity, I was disappointed by the rain. Yet, we saw much of the city center. By boat or bus we visited the great city built by Peter the Great in the early 18th century. From 1712 to 1918 it was the capital of Russia.

(The samovar, a symbol of Russian taste and elegance)

The most impressive sights were the Isaac Cathedral and the nearby Astoria Hotel,where I had stayed years before. It was all like coming home. Of course, now the hotel was spruced up and the interior completely altered. We saw the Winter Palace, all repainted and inviting, once the residence of the tsars. We spent some time in the Hermitage, admiring one of the largest and most outstanding collections of art and furnishings in the world. We visited the impressive Peter and Paul

Fortress, where members of the Romanov dynasty are buried. We even visited the tzar's palace in the suburbs with the fountains, gardens and Versailles-like quality.

Reminders of the German Siege

I was reminded of the 900-day siege by the German army of the great city during World War II and tried to visualize the death and destruction that had taken place there.

A re-reading of Harrison Salisbury's 900 Days: Siege of Leningrad described a city brought to its knees by constant gun barrages from outside this once beautiful place. Now as though by a miracle, the city was thriving and teeming with cars and people. Our guide pointed out that housing was still a problem and space at a premium, but the people were well dressed and the restaurants crowded.

(Arnie stops to take a photo with the captain of the Dr. Zhivago)

We would be traveling by river boat and our first visit was to Valaam on Lake Ladoga. It was the road on this lake when it froze in the winter that was used as a means of transporting food and supplies into the city during those 900 days or battle.It did keep many people alive, but about a million people died there.It's hard to forget that.

Valaam on Lake Ladoga

Valaam is an island on Europe's largest lake (Ladoga). It has breathtaking natural sights and landscapes worth painting. Here there is an ancient fortress that dates back to the 14th century.
Our cruise took us south to 17th-century Kizhy in Novograd province. We admired the wooden buildings, especially the 22-domed Transfiguration Church and the 9-domed Pokrov church built of only wooden parts without a single nail. There were souvenirs to buy and local food to taste.

Many of the towns along the route were once visited by trading Scandinavians, who arrived here by boat many centuries ago. The best way to see these long-lost villages is, of course, by river boat.
Our boat, the Dr Zhivago I, was a well-equipped German vesselel built in the 1970's. The cabins were small but functional and the boat facilities adequate but hardly like a luxury cruiser. The food was interesting, well prepared and served by a friendly staff.

We enjoyed the decks, library and bar where we would read, play cards or sip coffee waiting for the sunset. That didn't seem to happen as traveling in late May means traveling during The White Nights. There was still sun up at midnight, and I slept with a mask.

Sailing to Kirillo-Belozersk

From here we sailed to Kirillo-Belozersk, referred to simply as Goritzky. Here we visited a first class men's monastery and fortification founded in 1397 by St. Kirill. It is now a museum. Within the walls there are ten churches, a cathedral (1391) and ethnography museum. Our guided tour was worth the effort, as the place was completely foreign to me. This is ancient Russia with so little written about it.

From there we went to Yaroslavl, founded by Prince Iaroslav the Wise of Rostov in 1010. It is here that the Katorosl River meets the Volga, once a major center and independent princedom. It became the Volga's first port and grew rich on Middle East and European trade. Rich merchants paid for the construction of the large churches and fascinating frescoes.

Our last stop was Uglich, dating back to 937 with rich architecture and beautiful chambers in the local Kremlin, the Dimitry Church on Blood. It was here that Ivan the Terrible's son and heir tragically died and changed the course of history.

We were greeted on the shore by musicians and young girls in traditional costume offering us bread as a welcome. Here I found a beautiful painting that reminded me of my ancestors leaving Russia to come to Canada, so I couldn't resist buying it.

Our next stop would be Moscow. I was anxious to see how it changed.

Part 2: Changed Moscow

We arrived in Moscow by river boat, and the terminus at Khimiki, in the north, looked like a huge steamer. The tower is like a navigating bridge. Even the metro or subway stations looked like museums or underground palaces with crystal chandeliers, mosaics, paintings, glass panels, murals and bas reliefs. No two stations are the same, and they've been there since the 1930s. They are protected by the state as national property. No graffiti here.

Positive Changes in Red Square

The changes in Red Square and the area around it are mostly positive. For example, the Kremlin wall is in perfect condition surrounded by fresh grasses and newly-planted trees. This is not unusual for Moscow, as it's become even more verdant than ever with shrubs, foliage and green spaces everywhere.

(Beneath modern advertising posters from the world of capitalism, "doubles" of Lenin and Stalin stop to pose with two tourists in Russia)

With the onslaught of thousands of new vehicles, perhaps the greenery will make a difference in the air quality. Wide, empty streets are generally clogged with traffic, and it seems to take hours to get anywhere.

Red Square itself is more inviting. Facing the wall is the famous Gumm store. When I was there in the seventies, there was little to buy and the merchandise was low quality. The building was drab, and the salesladies calculated your bill with an abacus. Today, it's the designer clothiers and jewelers that take center stage.

Armani, Ralph Lauren Rule the Day

Flashy, modern shops with the latest designer offerings rule the day. It is not uncommon to see Armani, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Tag-Hauer and Rolex on every floor and fancy coffee bars offering mocha-chino and café latte to well-healed, well-dressed shoppers.

(The Gumm department store is no longer the bleak place it once was under Communist rule)

The modern escalators and elevators and the bright-scrubbed and well-maintained glass roof now lend light and airiness to the sand-blasted old building.

Lenin still rests at the base of the Kremlin wall, but there were few if any visitors, and the word on the street is that they are thinking of removing his tomb completely to another site. Such is the change in attitude that seems to have arrived overnight.

(The majestic spires of St. Basil's Cathedral gleam with a fresh coat of paint)

At the far end of the square, St. Basil's gleams with a fresh coat of paint. The design and colors are splendid. I always enjoy seeing it, and now I am reminded of my history teacher describing it as turned into a stable by Napoleon, who had reviewed his troops in the great square.

I smile knowing that this glowing motto of Moscow has returned to the people. Look for the statue of Minin and Pozharsky in front of the cathedral. They marched through here in 1612 at the head of the Russian army that defeated the Poles.

Within the Kremlin walls there are government buildings, churches and museums. I especially recommend a visit to see the Russian crown jewels. The State Armory is the oldest museum in all of Russia dating back to the 15th century. The crown jewels were first put on display here in 1547.

The Red Star Still Looks Down on Everyone

On the towers, the red star still looks down on everyone. It is old Russia, with a new façade ready to show itself off. The Kremlin is massive, covering 27.5 hectares totally enclosed and carefully preserved as a national treasure. Here, Tzars were crowned in the Dormition Cathedral with the gold or the bright blue, star-studded onions. There is nothing like it anywhere.

(Visitors still are in awe on visits to the Kremlin, which includes Lenin's tomb)

Armies marched across the square on May Day, showing off their wares as Stalin looked down from above. It is the heart of Russia and the symbol of her greatness. It is on high ground in the oldest part of Moscow, looking down on the river and what was originally an 11th-century town. The fortress walls are over 2,230 meters long. It takes a few hours to examine the outside.

I toured this enormous city and especially enjoyed the main building of the university and the old Ukraine Hotel, similar in construction and looking like huge wedding cakes. I passed so many ornate churches that I couldn't get my camera ready in time. The few I went into were as ornate as one can imagine.

The Cathedral of Archangel Michael

The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael served as a burial place of the grand princes and tsars. The cupolas of the Kremlin cathedrals were gilded in gold and shone proudly in the sun. There are statues everywhere, and museums like the Pushkin or State Tretyakov Gallery are well worth visiting.

But the area around the Kremlin has changed. The new has replaced the Soviet symbols. The arrival of Macdonalds in the area makes the changes obvious and while the old Art Nouveau-style Metropole Hotel still has an old-world charm, it has new world prices.

We couldn't see the Bolshoi as it was under renovation, but the nearby Russia Hotel was once the largest hotel in the world. Built in the 1960s, it occupied a great tract of land within shouting distance of the great square. I had stayed there years ago and was anxious to see its white, square structure still enjoying middle-class success. But that was not to be. The hotel was in an advanced state of demolition, making way for four smaller hotels to take its place. Such is progress in Russia.

One day I visited the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent with its bright red-and-white wall, domed churches and gardens. Many of the nuns or inhabitants were members of Royalty or high-ranking families.

I saw only a small portion of the city, but I'm glad I returned. It was not that drab old lady of the Communist period.

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