Russian River Cruise: Beyond Moscow

Following Moscow, the next stop on our river cruise in Russia was Uglich, a small town on the Volga River. We enjoyed a lovely walking tour. This is a quaint small town dating back to 1148. This is where Ivan the Terrible’s son Dmitri was killed. He was found on the river banks, and there stands a beautiful church in his honor, called Church of St Dmitri on the Blood.

Nearby is the Cathedral of Our Saviors Transfiguration. Both churches boast the beautiful onion domes that Russian churches are famous for. This is such a cute little city, and there are vendors set up selling traditional Russian souvenirs. So you can purchase the nesting dolls, Soviet memorabilia & wool scarves at reasonable prices.

Our river cruise in Russia continued to Yaroslavl, where we had a tour of the town. Prince Yaroslavl founded this town in the 11^th century, on the site where he killed a bear, the city’s symbol. We had a great time in an open market and did some shopping. The thing to buy in Yaroslavl is the hand painted Russian lacquer boxes. They are expensive; however they are lovely and are collectible items. The town itself was charming.

We next cruised to Goritzy. We toured the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, founded in 1397. There is a folklore about the lake it overlooks. They say if you wash in it you will be 10 years younger. (Of course, I jumped in! hee hee.) Goritzy is also a great place to purchase fur, for those so inclined.

Onward to Kizhi. Kizhi is the smallest little town that only has a year around population of 50 people. An open-air museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kizhi is one of the most ancient inhabited sites in Russia., and the sight of the oldest church in Russia. But the key sight here is the Church of the Transfiguration, built completely of wood without a single nail! It has

22 timbered onion domes. It’s amazing, and you just can’t take your eyes off of it!