Passage of Peter the Great
June 17-29, 2006

Cruise the heart of Russia between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Faculty Host: Colby Associate Professor of Russian Sheila McCarthy

A Note from Professor McCarty:

Hello, everyone!

I wanted to introduce myself from afar before we all meet each other in New York to begin this exciting and vivid trip in Russia. I've been teaching Russian language, literature, and culture at Colby since 1987, and before that, I taught at Grinnell College and Antioch College. Because I was born and grew up in Peabody, MA, just north of Boston, returning to New England was a kind of homecoming for me! My husband, Cliff Reid, teaches in the Economics Department at Colby, and our son, Matt, has just completed his junior year at the University of Chicago.

I've been traveling in Russia since 1965, when I took my first graduate student exchange trip. In the years since then, I've led several summer tours. As a graduate student, I spent an exchange year for research at Moscow State University. As a young teacher, I participated in a teacher exchange and taught English in 1969-70 at a Moscow school. As you can imagine, the political, economic, and social changes that have taken place in the Soviet Union/Russia in these 35-plus years are dramatic and memorable.
Our trip together this summer brings to mind my 1965 cruise on the Volga. I was far south of Moscow, and student finances being what they are, I was on a small Russian steamer that went up and down the Volga among the several larger market towns. And so, I traveled with fruits and vegetables piled high on the decks, barrels of cut flowers, and roosters, hens, and goats galore. Talking with the farmers those days remains one of my fondest memories of Russia. It is certain that the Novikov Priboi does not embark livestock, but I know that I will think often of those pigs and goats as we sail the Volga.

Included Features

Round-trip, scheduled jet service aboard Lufthansa Airlines to Moscow, Russia, with return from St. Petersburg (not provided for land-only passengers);
Enjoy the amenities of your "floating hotel," the M/S Respin, beginning your journey with two full days and nights in the ancient and fascinating capital of the Russian Republic, Moscow;
Three full meals each day, including wine with dinner, during your entire 11 nights in Russia;
Festive "Russian Welcome" party aboard ship;
All Sightseeing Excursions in Moscow, including the Kremlin, the Armory Museum, and Red Square;
Passage of Peter the Great cruise on the Volga, Svir, and Neva Rivers and on Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga;
During your six-day cruise, visit two of the jewels of Russia's Golden Ring, Uglich and Yaroslavl, in the cultural heart of Russia along with the fascinating old Russian villages of Goritsy and Kizhi Island;
Go ashore en route in Mandrogi for a picnic lunch in the lush emerald environs of a Russian forest and nature preserve. Spend some free time shopping in charming wooden dachas for local handicrafts;
Guided shore excursions at each port;
Two full days in St. Petersburg, the "capital of the czars," including visits to the magnificent State Hermitage Museum, Peter and Paul Fortress, Peter's Palace, Catherine's Palace, and St. Isaac's Cathedral;
A cultural performance at the jewel of the czarist aristocracy, the Yusupov Palace;
A special "Farewell to Russia" party and dinner;
Services of an experienced Alumni Holidays® cruise and travel director throughout your trip;
Detailed travel and destination information to assist in your planning;
All transfers and baggage handling in Russia between airports and piers, including porterage charge in Russia provided for Air-Inclusive participants only;
Deluxe travel kit, including an attractive travel bag;
Automatic $250,000 flight insurance for all passengers ticketed by AHI International, subject to policy terms provided for Air-Inclusive participants only.

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart Gateway City

Days 2-4: Moscow, Russia - a living page of Russian history and culture. Over 800 years old, it bears lavish testimony to the pageantry of the czars, yet teems with the brisk pace of a modern-day capital. Explore Moscow's mighty Kremlin with its golden domes, lustrous cathedrals, and treasures of the czars, such as the Armory Museum with its priceless Fabergé eggs. Visit Red Square, home of the extra-ordinary St. Basil's Cathedral. Walk in the footsteps of the czars along Tverskaya Street, formerly known as Gorky Street and once part of the direct route between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Moscow contains some of the brightest cultural jewels of Russia: the Bolshoi Theater, Pushkin Fine Art Museum and Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. A ride on the Moscow Metro, a remarkable structure of marble, bronze, and cut glass chandeliers, is a wonderful experience!

Day 5: Uglich - This tranquil town of old Russian architecture originated in the 10th century and is one of the oldest on the upper Volga River. Of special interest in the Kremlin is the poignant church of Tsarevich, built on the site of the tragic death of Ivan the Terrible's son, Dimitry. Located nearby is the five-domed Transfiguration Cathedral and the small, charming 15th century Prince's Palace.

Day 6: Yaroslavl - Stretching for 18 miles on both banks of the river, Yaroslavl is an important Volga port, founded in the 11th century by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. Of special interest is its magnificent 12th century Spassky Monastery. This vast complex of majestic cathedrals, an elegant rotunda, towers, and remnants of an historic trading center played a prominent role in the political and economic development of the city as well as being a cultural center in the ancient Russian state.

Day 7: Volga River, Goritsy - The peaceful farming community of Goritsy is a charming example of rural Russian life. From here you will journey to the Kirill-Belosersk Monastery, founded in the 15th century. Its fortress-like edifice with a picturesque lake setting has an impressive interior and an artifact-filled museum.

Day 8: Kizhi Island, Lake Onega - Set among the blue waters of beautiful Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga, Kizhi (pronounced kee-zhee) boasts such a fantasy of construction that it might be called a fairy-tale world. Your walking tour will reveal a virtual open-air museum of 17th and 18th century homes and churches. All of the buildings bear testimony to the simplicity and craftsmanship of wooden architecture built without the use of nails! The Church of the Transfiguration, built in 1714, was the ultimate fantasy: its 22 onion-shaped domes of different sizes change hues with the passing sun. The domes required more than 30,000 aspen shingles!

Day 9-10: Sailing Lake Onega & Lake Ladoga

Day 11-12: St. Petersburg - Majestic gold-domed cathedrals and serene canal-crossed streets combine to make this one of the most beautiful cities in the world. St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great as a link to Western Europe and today is perhaps the greatest cultural center in Russia. The world-famous State Hermitage Museum, once the Winter Palace of the czars, contains nearly 3,000,000 works of art. Walk along Nevsky Prospekt with its shops and churches, see the impressive Peter and Paul Fortress and visit the palace of either Peter the Great or Catherine the Great.

Day 13: Return to Gateway City

Prices start at $3,395, including air.