On-Tour Enrichment
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Adventure awaits behind the former Iron Curtain in this land of tsars and tsarinas, imperial palaces that rival Versailles, onion-domed cathedrals, Fabergé eggs, nesting dolls, fairytales, and vodka
.
On this cruise, you'll journey through Russian history by exploring several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the city of St. Petersburg, Moscow's Kremlin and Red Square, the church and clock tower of Kizhi Island, and glittering Peterhof Palace, built during Peter the Great's reign.
But you'll also discover a modern Russia with exclusive home-hosted visits and explorations of thriving metropolises and villages.
HISTORIC RUSSIA
The Romanov Dynasty, the Russian Revolution, the Cold War, Gorbachev, Putin — Russia has long gripped our imaginations with a mysterious and intriguing hold.
Discover the opulent Peterhof Palace, one of the stunning residences of the tsars with formal gardens and fountains that may remind you of Versailles. Visit Catherine I's gilded rococo palace as well as the Yusupov Palace where Rasputin met his untimely end shortly before the Russian Revolution.
Explore the Museum of Russian Political History, the KGB Building, the Kremlin Towers, and even the Lenin Mausoleum, and learn about history that may not be readily found in books. Reveal modern day-to-day life during excursions to a local school and the beautiful, ancient town of Uglich, once home to Ivan the Terrible and his family and now a part of Russia’s Golden Ring.
YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE
As the Beatles once sang about the former U.S.S.R.,
“You don’t know how lucky you are,” because this country is so incredibly rich in culture.
Join us in touring grand museums like the Hermitage (the second-largest art museum in the world, with over 3 millions pieces collected by Catherine the Great); Moscow's impressive Tretyakov Gallery; and the Fabergé Museum to marvel at delicate jeweled eggs.
We'll explore local handicraft markets, which buzz with activity and where we're sure to find a wide variety of hand-painted
matryoshka nesting dolls. And we'll teach you the special arts that go behind creating these uniquely Russian figures. Find yourself further enchanted by our carefully curated lectures on Russian fairytales, the Russian language, the history and production of vodka
, and onboard entertainment with Russian folk music and dancing.
RUSSIA IS FOR FOODIES
Experience the full flavors and wonderful diversity of tastes in Russia. As the world’s largest country, Russia’s culinary offerings are vast and range from hearty
beef stroganoff to tangy soups like beetroot
borscht to briny caviar and honey-sweet
blini pancakes to doughy
pelmeni dumplings (often filled with meat) to one of Russia's most famous exports: vodka
.
Join us for an exclusive cooking lesson aboard the ship, where you will learn how to prepare Russian specialties, as well as the art of baking bread. We also invite you to be our guest at restaurants in Moscow and St. Petersburg for the chance to indulge in regional specialties. Continue to dine like a local in the village of Mandrogi, where we will treat you to a special Russian barbecue lunch (called a
shashlik) and we will take you into a local home in the historic village of Uglich for home-hosted tea and pies.
Do you know? Blinis
are said to symbolize the sun because of their round shape. While they are eaten year-round, these ubiquitous pancakes are a major part of the celebrations for the weeklong holiday Maslenitsa (sometimes called Pancake Week), which coincides with the end of winter and start of spring.
