Finland Russia Baltic Day 6

Trafalgar Tours - Day 06 - October 08, 2008 - Wednesday - Novgorod, Russia

With a little luck and my internal Garcia clock, I woke up at 6:30 and discovered that our alarm had not gone off and we did not receive a wake up call! We hustled to get our showers and were at the 15th floor for breakfast a few minutes before the doors opened!

At 8:00 we met those brave souls who signed up for the sunrise river cruise. Called the Venice of the North, St. Petersburg is stunning but seen from the canals and the River Neva in the rising sun, it was spectacular!

We have been so very lucky with the weather. It was 46 degrees and 82% humidity. With only 35 days of sun a year, we had 3 gorgeous days in a row! The early morning rays glistening on the golden domes and spires of the city will be a lasting memory for both of us!

At 10:00 we finished our cruise and met Nikolai and the bus at Isaac’s Square. We left immediately for our private tour of the Russian National Art Museum. The traffic was at a stand still so we got off the bus with Natasha a few blocks from the museum and walked.

The Museum was originally the home of the Grand Duke Michael but the State took over the palace for use as a museum housing only Russian artisans. The pieces are arranged chronologically beginning with the 1000 year old iconic art to the present day modern artists.

We finished our tour at noon but we had only seen a small percentage of the art work. Fortunately, we were able to see the highlights - a benefit of going with a guide who knows the whole museum. We had a bite to eat in the café and then explored the city for a few more moments until we met our group at 1:00.

Traffic was terrible this morning on our drive across the vast Russian plains to ancient Novgorod. There are no interstate or direct toll roads in Russia so cars, buses, and huge transport trucks all use the same narrow roads.

Along the roads we saw very small but not well kept homes all with little vegetable gardens. We saw very few cattle, horses or other domestic animals. Xavier told us these country villages are getting smaller, poorer, and the people who live here are older because the young people go to the city to find better jobs.

When we came to the city of Novgorod, Xavier gave us the applications to fill out for the visas to Belarus. Because of the new regulations and deteriorating relations with the USA, we were warned to be very precise when filling out the forms as one error can be used to deny entry into the country.

Because Nikolai was trying to make up a little of the time we lost in the traffic getting out of the city, we were stopped by the Russian Traffic Police. Everyone quickly bucked their seat belts preparing for an inspection.

However, Nikolai went out to talk with the officers and managed to offer them a little “gift” as opposed to getting a fine. Interesting how things work here in Russia!

We arrived at our hotel in Novgorod about 5:00 and as the luggage was unloaded, we walked around a bit. Then we got back on the bus with our local guide, Galina who took us on an orientation tour of the city.

Novgorod is the oldest city in Russia, settled 1150 years ago by the Vikings. The town was on the trade route between the Black and Baltic Seas and was once very wealthy. Situated on the Volkhov River, there are hundreds of churches here, the capital of religion in Russia.

We walked across the river on a footbridge to the Kremlin, meaning fort, the city’s ancient fortress. Originally made from wood it was fortified with brick and stone for the protection of the people.

We walked the 'Kremlin' fort and grounds, saw the Millennium Monument, and went into the St. Sophia Cathedral, the oldest church in Russia (1045). There was an Orthodox mass being celebrated so we quietly looked around at the ancient but well preserved icons.

As the sun was setting over the city we walked back across the footbridge where we found our bus. Nikolai took us back to the hotel and we had a few minutes to unpack our bags and get ready for dinner at 7:30.

After dinner at our hotel, Gennie typed our journal for the day and I went to the lobby to turn in our visa applications and pay for our optional excursions on this trip.

There is no internet in our rooms in this hotel and limited access in the whole area so posting the journal was a little more difficult. We have an early morning and an eight hour drive to Moscow tomorrow

Accommodations: Beresta Palace Hotel - - - Meal: B, D

Interesting visit with great pictures and great text. Hope you can get into Belarus.

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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