Russia

"Will we or won't we?" This was the pressing question of the students, faculty, Lifelong Learners and staff as we moved toward St. Petersburg. As it turned out, neither the rebels nor Putin nor Obama could keep us from enjoying this astonishingly beautiful city. (We were here in summer 2008, thrilled to return). The three ship days between Oslo and St. Pete included two class days, multiple exams, and the always-fun Sea Olympics (the faculty/staff "Sea-lebrity" group came in second!).We began the day in St. Petersburg with a diplomatic briefing from the Consul General of the US Embassy (who happens to be a UVa grad), our first briefing on this voyage. His presentation was particularly important and interesting given the unease of the current political situation. The contrasts are striking, but one certainly sees the New Russia everywhere -- expensive cars, chichi shops, beautiful women. St. Petersburg is the jewel in the crown, of course, Peter the Great's major statement that the West held more promise than the East (are you reading this, Mr. Putin?). From the Hermitage to Catherine Palace to Peterhof, the Church of the Spilled Blood (where the Tsar was assassinated), Fabergé eggs and expansive boulevards and canals, St P is hard not to love.

We had a lovely dinner with Kirk and some friends at a restaurant called Vinaigrette --and pronounced just like that, but spelled like this (Russian is impenetrable!):

Then, Moscow. What a surprise. Or, at least, the parts they took us to on our two-day trip were dazzling. The city is clean (it has a stated goal of becoming the cleanest city in the world), historical, and monumental. We trooped around St. Basil's cathedral (1671), GUM department store, Lenin's Tomb, the Kremlin and Putin's Palace, then to a lovely dinner and overnight in the Novotel Moscow Center.

The next day took us on a tour of the very impressive Moscow metro, lunch at the Boris Godunov restaurant, a visit to the grounds of the HUGE Kremlin buildings, including the State treasures (gasp) in the Armory Museum, and a stop at the lovely New Maiden (Royal) Convent.

This long and wonderful day then feted us with another excellent meal, followed by a performance of the ballet "Giselle" at the Russian Youth Theater, located next door to the Bolshoi.

Could it get any better? Well, yes. We returned to Red Square for some night shots before boarding the first class night train to St. Petersburg. Very fun, very comfortable.

What a trip. On to Stockholm tonight.