We were a group of twenty-five ambassadors – thirteen from our club and the others joined us from Michigan, Indiana, Florida, Texas, Canada and two cities in Brazil.
We all had wonderful host families…..
And nice accommodations.
And, no – language was not a problem. Our host families spoke English, though sometimes assisted by the younger generation.
Moscow is an interesting mix of old and new.
Moscow is an interesting mix of old and new.
While in Moscow our activities included the usual things – a city tour, visits to major museums and the Kremlin. Some of us toured the Bolshoi Theater, in its 256th season, while others toured the US Embassy.
The weekend was free time. Many of us visited dachas with our host families where we……
took walks…….
swam in the river……
celebrated birthdays……
and ate to our hearts’ content.
Those who stayed in the city pursued a variety of activities such as visiting local markets, small niche museums, Kuskova, the former estate of a rich 18th century count, Novodevichy Cemetary, the burial place of many famous Russians including this one which is Krushev’s……..
…..and the Exhibition of Achievements of the People’s Economy, sort of a Soviet Era Epcot which showcased the achievements of the republics of the USSR where our ambassadors found the Ukrainian exhibit closed.
Our week in Moscow also gave us the opportunity to reconnect with one of the Open World delegates FFCNC hosted in 2007 – Nikita Bekasov.
Nikita spent a good bit of time with us……
…..and made sure that everyone had a chance to taste Kvass, the traditional Russian fermented beverage made from black bread. Later in St. Petersburg we were also able to visit with Ilya Mischenko, one of the facilitators with that delegation.
As you might imagine, it was with sad hearts that we said good-bye to our old and new friends when we left Moscow.
The second week of our travels was spent on a guided tour of the Golden Ring, ancient cities to the northeast of Moscow, and then several days in St. Petersburg.
During these days we saw lots of churches and learned about their architectural history as well as the significance of the colors & numbers of the onion domes.
We listened to bell ringing – twice, and ……
…..and monks singing.
While on the road we stretched…..
….read, and……
…..napped.
Our meals became wonderful adventures as well, including a 19th century Russian ball.
St. Petersburg found us visiting well-known sites such as the Hermitage…..
….Catherine the Great’s summer palace, and…
….the fountains at Peterhof.
But we also walked in the footsteps of Dostoevsky’s character in “Crime and Punishment,” Raskolnikov, as he crept up the stairs to the fourth floor apartment to murder the pawnbroker…..
And we learned how to prepare Russian dishes.
Our meals continued to be filled with epicurean delights and entertainment.
One evening most of the group enjoyed a performance of traditional Russian music and dancing. Karla, Connie, and Martha opted for a performance of “Swan Lake” at the Aleksandrinski Theater.
But the highlight for us was probably experiencing the White Nights. On the longest day of the year at midnight we climbed to the colonnade of St. Isaac’s Cathedral….
….to enjoy a spectacular view of the city.
Then we boarded a boat to cruise the Neva River while the bridges were being raised. It was a bit chilly, but an exhilarating experience as……
…..hundreds of boats raced from one bridge to the next, jockeying for the best position to view the bridges opening up.
All in all, it was a great trip and was enjoyed by all.