Waterways of the Tsars

St. Petersburg to Moscow Aboard the Volga Dream

July 28 - August 11, 2008

We’ve long wished to travel the waterways of Russia between St. Petersburg and Moscow, but until now we’ve not found a boat that meets our standards. Happily, the new M.S. Volga Dream is now available to us, so we’re eager to move forward with this famous itinerary. As we navigate the rivers, canals, and lakes linking Russia’s two great cities, the countryside will unfold, revealing a fascinating land of peaceful villages and onion-domed monasteries. St. Petersburg and Moscow will also delight us with their splendid palaces, extraordinary museum collections, and architectural treasures.

We’ll be joined by Lamar J. R. Cecil, W&L’s former William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History, and the noted horticulturalist and architectural historian Patrick Bowe. Together, they will provide a series of lectures on Russian history, culture, and the natural world.

Our program begins with three nights in St. Petersburg, where we’ll visit the incomparable Hermitage Museum and the restored Amber Room at Catherine’s Palace. At Peter’s elegant summer palace, we’ll admire the whimsical fountains, cascades, and terraced gardens along with the palace’s splendid interior.

Embarking the M.S. Volga Dream, we’ll begin a week of cruising, first along the Volga, mother of Russian rivers. Along the way, we’ll pause at the largest of the islands of Valaam, an archipelago in Lake Lagoda, to visit the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior; cruise the Svir River to the tiny, picturesque island of Kizhy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Lake Onega, and cross Lake Beloye, or the White Lake, formerly known as the tsar’s fishing grounds. Arriving in the peaceful village of Goritsy, we’ll tour the Kirilov Belozersky Monastery with its frescoed 13thcentury Cathedral of the Assumption. We’ll also visit Yaroslavl, the oldest city on the Volga, and 10thcentury town of Uglich before disembarking in Moscow.

Three days and nights in the Russian capital will afford us ample time to visit the Kremlin, Red Square, and St. Basil’s Cathedral. We’ll also view the prized collection of icons and Russian art at the Old Tretyakov Gallery and visit the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, where we’ll see one of the world’s outstanding collections of French Impressionist paintings.You’ll soon discover what we’ve so warmly anticipated.

Download the complete itinerary and registration form (.pdf)

Traveling With You

W&L's Lamar J. R. Cecil
We're pleased to be joined by Lamar J. R. Cecil, the former William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of History at W&L, specializing in European and Russian history. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including his award-winning two-volume biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He is a veteran teacher of W&L’s Alumni Colleges on campus and abroad, lecturing on a variety of topics from 19th-century Europe to the history of Imperial Russia. Lamar and his wife Geri have recently escorted W&L Traveller programs on the Danube, the Rhine and Moselle rivers and the Baltic Sea.More...