Day by Day Itinerary
August 11 Depart New York
Monday
Check in no later than 3:00 PM, and gather for introductions before boarding. Our journey starts today at 5:55 PM aboard FINNAIR AY006. (meals enroute)
August 12 Moscow
Tuesday Suzdal
Arrive in Helsinki this morning and connect with the short flight to Moscow arriving at 12:05 PM. Lunch will be served enroute.
Welcome to Russia!
Upon arrival in Moscow, we’ll head for Suzdal. Nap on the coach if you’d like. We’ll stop for a bowl of borsch in the Kirzhach village café. Later check in at the Pokrovsky Monastery. These warmly lit cabins will be our cozy accommodations. They were built originally for Russian historians and researchers, and this historical site is a working monastery today. Dinner is included tonight in the refectory of the convent. (meals enroute-D)
***Pokrovsky Monastery
August 13 Suzdal
Wednesday Vladimir
We’ll have time to spend in picturesque Suzdal. Enjoy a leisurely morning and then visit the village of wooden architecture. After lunch, head south to Vladimir, one of the oldest medieval Russian towns. The ancient town of Vladimir is another masterpiece of the Golden Ring. We have included lunch today while in Vladimir at a nice restaurant in Old Town, which has good Russian cuisine and a cozy atmosphere. Tonight enjoy a special Russian dinner and folk performance.
(B-L-D) ***Pokrovsky Monastery
Kholui Miniatures
Innovative style and subjects: Bright, rich colors on black backgrounds.
Palekh Miniatures
The oldest center of icon-painting. Subjects often include the troika (three horsed sled) with slender legs, manes of curlicues, romantic subjects, elaborate borders.
August 14 Ivanovo • Kholui
Thursday Palekh
Depart northward for Ivanovo, a famous textile center and site of first local “soviet”. We’ll visit Kholui workshops and museum. Continue to Palekh. It is said to have been founded by the people who fled there from the Tarter-Mongol raids. For centuries, Palekh has been the center of icon painting and is home to the Palekh Art School and Museum of Miniature Painting. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to purchase lacquered boxes from the original artists! Return to Suzdal this evening.
(B-D) ***Pokrovsky Monastery
August 15 Fedoskino
Friday Moscow
We’ll make our way back to Moscow via Fedoskino; the most famous of the villages where the black lacquered hand-painted paper maché boxes are crafted. We’ll arrive in Moscow for dinner and check into our rooms.
(B-D) ***Hotel Cosmos
Fedoskino Miniatures
Subjects include village and peasant scenes, landscapes and portraits. The characters appear life-like, full bodied and real. The tea-party with shining samovar is a favorite. The top paintings often lack the decorative border, and gold foil highlights the painting. Mother of pearl inlays are a specialty. Fedoskino masters use oil paint rather than tempera.
August 16 Moscow
Saturday
This morning, we’ll be introduced to some of Moscow’s famed sites. The Red Square, the center of Moscow since its founding some 800 years ago, continues to be the historic heart of the city. You’ll find this cobblestone square tingling with life. Lining one side of the square are the unmistakable red walls of the Kremlin while St. Basil’s Cathedral, the most easily identifiable of Moscow’s landmarks, stands on the other side. GUM department store stands on the east side of this open plaza with the History Museum on the north. The Lenin Mausoleum is the focus of the square. There’s free time at noontime to try one of the American or Russian fast food restaurants. Then board the Metro to see the magnificent underground Museums. End at Arbat Street, Moscow’s colorful pedestrian precinct lined with boutiques, art galleries, theaters and cafes. The coach will transport you back to the hotel. Dinner is included at the hotel this evening. Shall we order theatre tickets for you?
(B-D) ***Hotel Cosmos
August 17 Moscow
Sunday
This is certainly a day to remember! Today we go inside the Kremlin. Its 64 acres enclose palaces, cathedrals and towers, including the splendid Ivan the Great Tower and Belfry. Within the complex are the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Terem Palace, the Palace of Congress and historic Cathedral Square. Ringing the square are the historic Archangel, Annunciation and Assumption Cathedrals. We’ll go inside one of them. The Czar Bell and Czar Cannon make a good photo opportunity. We’ll have a two-hour guided tour of the Armory. There you’ll find the exquisite Faberge Egg Collection and much more. Filled with exquisite icons and paintings, carriages and costumes, this is the most historic of the Kremlin’s monuments. Then it’s time to relax over a special lunch at a downtown restaurant. Later in the afternoon we are invited to a famous artist’s studio to enjoy a tea party and to get better acquainted. There will be a bit of vodka too!
(B-L) ***Hotel Cosmos
August 18 Moscow
Monday
This morning we are invited to meet with the Women’s Union of Russia to learn of their work, current conditions and the hopes and dreams of Russian women. This afternoon we will make a visit to the Pioneer Palace (similar to the U.S. Boy Scouts). And of course, no trip to Moscow is complete without enjoying a performance of the Russian circus! It’s included tonight.
(B-D) ***Hotel Cosmos
August 19 Moscow
Tuesday
Today were off to the countryside for an excursion to Sergiev Posad, the medieval town that is the seat of the Russian Orthodoxy. The most interesting time to visit is when services are going on. Return to Moscow and have a guided tour of the superb Tretyakov Gallery with its fine collection of Russian Art. Dinner is at the hotel tonight. Have a last look at illuminated Red Square this evening on the way to the train station. Settle into your comfortable sleeping compartment aboard the overnight train ride to St. Petersburg. Dream of troikas on the frozen Neva and lavish balls at the Winter Palace, as your train glides northwest.
(B-D) Overnight train
August 20 St. Petersburg
Wednesday
Welcome to St. Petersburg! With its name changed back to St. Petersburg from Leningrad, this relatively young city was conceived and built by Peter the Great only 300 years ago. As we leave the train station, we’ll catch our first glimpse of this enchanting city. At every turn you’ll find the city’s grand neoclassical architecture mirrored in a network of canals and rivers. Travel along Nevsky Prospekt, the city’s most elegant boulevard lined with palaces, mansions, and churches, most of which are fine examples of Russian Classical and Baroque styles. The impressive Kazan Cathedral is here. The richly gilded St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and the famous “Bronze Horseman,” statue of Peter the Great, are located just off Nevsky Prospekt as are the well-known Pushkin and Maly Theaters.
Check in at our hotel for a rest followed by lunch. In the afternoon we’ll visit Peter and Paul Fortress that contains the Peter and Paul Cathedral where the Romanov czars lie buried. We’ll see the small chapel where the last czar and family lie in rest—a very moving experience. The Admiralty Building and the Smolny Convent will be pointed out to you.
(B-L) ***Hotel Dostoyevsky
August 21 St. Petersburg
Thursday
After breakfast, we’ll visit the Hermitage Museum. Located in a splendid ensemble of buildings in the Palace Square, the buildings were at one time royal residences and offices of the State. The principal building, the Winter Palace, itself an outstanding example of Russian Baroque, is today part of the Hermitage Museum Complex. Boasting over two million art and history exhibits, all displayed in halls and galleries that are themselves masterpieces, this is most definitely one of the world’s finest museums. After free time for lunch, Ludmila will take us for a very special visit to the exquisite Usipov Palace with its beautiful recreated interiors. Once a residence of the wealthy and respected Usipov family, it saw one of Russian history’s moments of high drama - the murder of Grigory Rasputin. Return to the hotel for dinner.
(B-D) ***Hotel Dostoyevsky
August 22 St. Petersburg
Friday
This morning, we are off to the countryside with an excursion to Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin) and a visit to the magnificent Catherine Palace. Set in 1,500 acres of beautifully landscaped parklands, the palace with its brilliant azure facade and gold moldings is the main structure. We’ll see some of the best-known chambers in the restoration work still under way. After dinner at our hotel this evening, we will celebrate a farewell party with a folk performance at the Nicholas Palace. There will be refreshments during an intermission where we’ll have the opportunity to meet the performers.
(B-L-D) ***Hotel Dostoyevsky
August 23 St. Petersburg
Saturday New York
Say goodbye to Ludmila and the new friends you’ve made. Our FINNAIR flight to Helsinki departs at 12:35 PM, connects to AY005 in Helsinki at 2:20 PM and arrives at 3:55 PM in New York.
(B and meals aloft)
Welcome home!
Flight schedule always subject to change.
B= Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
Foundation
