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Moscow
Early start out of Berlin was uneventful. Taxi to Schonefeld also proved straight-forward. Our driver was terse but efficient and the long drive to the forgotten airport was swift. The terminals there are seriously out of date but given plans for opening Brandenburg Airport in 2014 it is unlikely Schonefeld will get much of an upgrade any time soon. The service and treatment were exemplary nevertheless and we were soon on our way to Moscow. Arriving at Sheremetyevo all was new and grand - welcome to Russia! We learned that our terminal was the newest of six vast halls. It was only later when we shared with friends their 'transfer stories' that we were grateful to have arrived at Sheremetyevo instead of Domodedovo. The traffic in Moscow is notorious and rightly so. Friends experienced 2-3 hour journeys by bus to get to the boat. We cruised in our limo from the north side to the inner north side and got to the Riverside Boat Terminal easily enough. Welcomed on board in efficient fashion we located our state-room. At the time another Viking vessel was tied up port-side, where our cabin was located, so natural light was hampered
somewhat, but we had been warned that might happen, and given that the cabins adjacent to ours on their boat seemed to be unoccupied it was a small inconvenience. Too late to do other than orient ourselves aboard we systematically connected with the other 12 members of our party who had flown in from various parts of Europe and China.
We are aboard the Viking Truvor feasibly described as a small ship or a big boat. The appointments are very pleasing. After a sumptuous dinner and an extensive briefing by Kathrin Hausmann, our extremely capable Program Director, PP and SC decided to forego the live music at 11pm in favour of sleeping.
Sunday morning we enjoyed becoming more acquainted with the boat and some of our fellow travellers. Our group of 14 had all made it to the dining room for breakfast but we were told it is not possible to rearrange the tables so we are split between one table of 8 and another of 6, nearby but not adjacent. Neither can we 'book' particular tables, which is a pity, but efforts were made to cater for us as much as possible. As
a big group of Brisane-ites who do not get to see each other as often as we might like at home, so we had hoped to be able to sit together at mealtimes. We have decided a roster to make sure we bags our tables early is the solution. A postscript is that on day 5 we were advised by the very lovely Julia that the table immediately adjacent to 'our' table of 8 had been changed from a 4 to a 6. From then on we were set. Thank you Julia, thank you Guenther.
Two options for the shore excursion of Moscow in the afternoon included a round trip by bus, or the 'get up close' option of using the Metro and walking. PP and CS chose the latter as did most of our group. The River Park where Viking vessels moor is a large green space (a welcome change from some of the busy, dusty, concrete wharves we experienced on the freighter cruise) and the nearest Metro a short walk away. We were guided to a number of stations in the underground to see the architecture and decoration that makes the Moscow Metro so famous.
Three of our Party
Susan D., Adrienne & Ann L.It is indeed a vast underground complex of caverns and themes. Lots of marble and amazingly clean. The trains hurtle at break-neck speeds and cacophonous noise through the tunnels from station to station, many of them significantly far apart. We became adept at negotiating this transport method and checked out a number of other stations on our own the next day.
The tour took us to Bolshoi Theatre building, Red Square, complete with St Basil's Cathedral and GUM. The weather was surprisingly warm and sunny so conditions for walking about were ideal. CS and PP ventured into GUM in search of an ATM for roubles. It is an imposing building both inside and out. A style reminiscent of Sydney's Queen Victoria Building just 3 times the size. The ubiquitous businesses selling international labels were as present here as elsewhere. Sunday afternoon the Muscovites were enjoying their city in large numbers, certainly both the Metro and GUM offered a good opportunity to get 'up close'.
We strolled to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and looked inside. We had been advised that this is an active church used by worshippers and no knees or toes
The Metro
One of the decorative subway stations should be exposed if one wished to enter. CS wondered if this was where Pussy Riot staged their 'concert' but decided it might be better not to ask. CS was pretty sure this is the building featured in a recent documentary by Aljazera noting the revival of the Orthodox Church in Russia under Putin and further noting that the basement of the Cathedral actually houses a number of businesses. We were not invited below.
The group then walked across Kamenny Most (bridge) to the concert hall at Tretyakov Art Gallery to hear Moskva Russian Folk Orchestra play and sing a selection of Russian classical and folk pieces as well as introducing us to a number of Russian musical instruments. The small orchestra, consisting of about 35 individual players plus a soprano and a clown and the conductor, absolutely enchanted us for the next hour and half. They were beautiful, enthusiastic young people who were flushed with talent, esprit d'corp and gayety. The 'clown' was an older man dressed as a cossack who appeared from time to time and clowned delightfully with a range of percussion instruments including an ordinary carpenter's saw displaying despite his antics a high
Two Peters
PP with another Peter of our group level of musical skill. Micha our guide went to pains afterwards to note they were not students but professional musicians despite their collective apparent youth. At one point the audience was so inspired that we gave them a standing ovation before the concert was even over.
Many of us took the chance to buy a CD or DVD they had on offer after the concert. What an end to a magic day (not belittling the lovely dinner that awaited us on board on our return).
One of our number, Anne L was having a birthday so after dessert-cake which the kitchen had prepared the Ozzie contingent adjourned to our rooms, 3 of which are back to back and allow their balconies to adjoin, to imbibe further chilled sparkling and tell silly stories. We hope the other ship-mates did not find us too raucous but we had no repercussions the next morning. We did pack it in about midnight.
Both CS and PP suffered a bit with back and leg pain by then so were pleased enough that the following day we were free to make our own plans. Group tours are
not generally our thing and the toll of standing on hard cobbles and floors instead of stepping out tends to take its toll on our rather older bones. Inevitable of course and the price you pay for getting information and guidance but Monday saw us moving at a rather swifter pace, alone.
Anne, David and Gary made up our party as we ventured into the Metro. After viewing a number of the amazing halls previously referred to, we split up outside the Kremlin, with CS and PP opting to walk and the others headed to the Armoury. Timing was a tad unfortunate as most galleries and museums are shut on Mondays. Instead we headed into the shopping centre across from Red Square and enjoyed refreshments while getting our bearings. Apart from some difficulty procuring the 20 roubles needed to access the public toilet both CS and PP were set to explore. We covered some familiar ground but headed to the Art Park, which was shut, and Gorky Park, before walking back along Ostozhenka - Ul Volkhonka to the green line Metro and 'home'. The only disappointment was that we did not get a chance to enter the
'new' State Tretyakov Gallery to view some of Russia's best contemporary art. The building itself is somewhat dowdy. For the contents - next time!
Most of our group had signed on for the Moscow by Night tour and despite the heavy rain that suddenly set in, we were not disappointed. Starting by bus and transferring to a covered ferry in what Micha called, romantically, the 'drainage canal' we did a substantial loop around the canal into the Moscow River and back viewing the lights and charms of Moscow in the dark. That was finalised with a stop in Red Square - now entirely deserted. We braved the rain, but had neglected to bring our umbrellas and had a lovely fellow passenger volunteer hers to us on the basis that she wanted to take lots of photos and could not hold the umbrella anyway. Very kind, very useful.
Day 4 (Tuesday) and the tour to the Kremlin saw our last excursion into Moscow before departure. The traffic was bumper to bumper, all 4 lanes, all the way so took about an hour and a half. The weather had started to cool and remained overcast but
GUM
Once the State department store - now like many western shopping centres dry. The must-see Kremlin did not disappoint, pictures tell the tale. We were warned to stay strictly on the footpaths as almost shoulder to shoulder guards would ensure we were whistled at, and possibly worse (Siberia?) if we erred. There were very evident uniformed guards about but none seemed terribly interested in our presence. Mind you none of us stepped on the road either. We returned to the ship in time to sail out of Moscow and make way along the Moscow Canal during the afternoon and night to Uglich. We dressed up somewhat for the Welcome Dinner, a 5 course set menu. Some danced into the night at the piano bar to live music but CS and PP decided some deep sleep was in order after two hectic days and nights.
One small irritant has arisen in that some of the group including CS and PP who use Bigpond for mail cannot reply to or send emails through that server while on the ship. Messages are received well enough but replies wont go. Perhaps Telstra needs to re-visit its arrangements with its Russian carriers?
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