MIR Corporation's Travel Log:
Volga River Cruise with the Russian National Orchestra
Join veteran MIR client Moonyeen Albrecht on a cruise from Moscow through some of Russia's lesser-known Volga River towns, accompanied by a soundtrack from the world-famous Russian National Orchestra.
Days 10-11: Kostroma, Yaroslav and Uglich
May 14-15, 2008 Until today our weather was wonderful! But . . . EEEES Rosha! This morning when we woke up it was . . . SNOWING! Most of us were prepared with layers of clothing. It was no problem. Our first shore stop was in the city of Kostroma which was founded in 1152 by Yuri Dolgoruky. Unfortunately, this time I did not take any photos in Kostroma. I have some from a previous Golden Ring tour in 2000 with my friend June. By the time we disembarked the snow was more like rain and we finally were able to use our umbrellas. We went to the Ipatiev Monastery which was founded in the 14th century. It was at this monastery that Michael Romanov was elected as the first Romanov Tsar in 1613 and it was from here that he left to be crowned in the Uspensky (Assumption) Cathedral in Moscow. Our group gathered in an entrance portico to hear a small group of men sing for us. They sang "Our Father" by Nikolai Kedrov and the folk song "The Volga Boatmen." Of course, CDs were available for purchase. Then we went to a shop which is known for its fine linens and we had some time for shopping. Kostroma is famous for linen articles. After our shopping frenzy we went back to the bus and drove to Yaroslavl where we met the Tchaikovsky again. At 4:00 p.m. we began our tour of Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl was founded in 1010 by Yaroslavl the Wise. The city was named the temporary capital of Russia during the Time of Troubles from 1598 to 1613 until Michael Romanov was crowned the first Romanov Tsar in 1613. A few words about "The Golden Ring." The ancient towns of the Golden Ring were founded between the 11th and 17th centuries and are considered the cradle of Russian culture. These towns (Fedoskino, Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalesky, Rostov (Veliky - the Great), Uglich, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Plyos, Ivanovo, Palekh, Vladimir, Suzdal) that lay in a circle to the northeast of Moscow became known as the Golden Ring and each town is a living chronicle documenting many centuries in the history of old Russia. They say it's called the Golden Ring because of the many churches with golden cupolas in the cities and countryside. There are special Golden Ring tours and if you come to Russia I highly recommend this itinerary. Our first stop in Yaroslavl was at the Church of Elijah the Prophet. After the tour of the church we went into a side chapel where another small men's choir sang for us. They sang: "Our Father" by Nikolai Kedrov and the folk song "The Volga Boatmen." Hmmmm, deja vu . . . do you think it is a conspiracy? Again CDs were for sale. Then we went to the Transfiguration of Our Savior Monastery. I was hoping that we would see and hear a demonstration of Russian bell ringing while we were there. I had heard this on previous trips to Yaroslavl and I wanted to buy a CD of bell ringing. There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the main bell tower is now under renovation and could not be used for a performance. Two years ago a young bell ringer gave us a fabulous short concert on the bells in this bell tower. However, now we could not hear these wonderful bells. The good news is that they have another set of bells behind the church to demonstrate Russian bell ringing to visitors. We were able to see that and I finally bought a CD of bell ringing from that place. A few words about Russian bell ringing: In western churches bells are pulled on ropes and moved back and forth so the clapper can strike the side of the bell. However, in Russia, the bells are stationary and ropes are attached to the clappers. The ropes are all connected in an intricate web and then pulled so the clappers can hit the sides of the stationary bells. With this method a ringer "plays" the bells by using his fingers, hands - and even feet for large bells - to pull the many ropes. With this method he can play many bells quickly at the same time. It is fascinating to watch a Russian bell ringer. We went into the adjacent "former" church which has been converted into a concert hall where we heard a wonderful concert of chamber music by three members of the string section of the RNO. They played music of Rachmaninov, Borodin and Tanyev. The next day, we were in Uglich and had some free time to sight-see. I opted to spend all my time (less than an hour) at the nearby shopping stalls since I'd been to Uglich already several times. At 11:00 a.m. as we began sailing back toward Moscow, a "piroshki" party was scheduled. We would not be hungry between breakfast and lunch! During the party, we passed through the beautiful Uglich lock. Someone came to get me as I photographed from a forward deck and I spent much of the time going back and forth between the mid-morning treat and watching the Uglich lock.
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