Pictures from Russia

Russia, Land of the Czars

Cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow along the imperial waterways of Russia

Led by:

Worldwide Pilgrimage Ministries and
The Rev. Orion Davis, Spiritual Leader

August 11 - 24, 2007

Trip map

DAY 1, Saturday, August 11, 2007 – Depart United States on a wide-body jet for a trans-Atlantic flight with dinner served on board the aircraft. D

DAY 2, Sunday, August 12, 2007 – We will arrive at St. Petersburg International Airport, Russia where we will be met by representatives of our cruise and transferred to the dock.  Embarkation on the Ms Glushkov begins at 3:00PM.  The exact dock location is not confirmed until 30 days prior to departure when the details will be sent with final documents. BD

DAY 3, Monday, August 13, 2007 - We will enjoy breakfast on board the ship and then take a St. Petersburg city tour.  St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and has become the second largest city in Russia.  The city includes a treasure trove of culture and history.  We will return to the ship for lunch and will have the afternoon free to continue our exploration of St. Petersburg on our own.  We will attend an exclusive ballet performance at the famous Hermitage Theatre, an event previously reserved for Russian royalty.  After the performance, we will have dinner in a local restaurant before returning to our ship. BLD

Ms Glushov

DAY 4, Tuesday, August 14, 2007 – After breakfast on board the ship, we will explore the Hermitage Museum prior to its scheduled opening time.  Here we will see only a very small fraction of the nearly 3 million pieces of priceless art.  We will return to the ship for lunch and then, in the late afternoon, we will explore Catherine’s Palace, located in nearby Pushkin, after its scheduled closing time.  After visiting this fabulous palace, we will enjoy dinner at a local restaurant before returning to our ship. BLD

DAY 5, Wednesday, August 15, 2007 – We will have breakfast on board the ship and then travel to Petrodvorets (Peter's Palace), formerly called Peterhof, one of the major palace-and-park complexes in the suburbs of St. Petersburg.  It was founded by Peter the Great in the suburbs of the "new capital" of Russia in the early 18th century.  The stately parks, innumerable fountains, beautiful cascades, guilt and marble statues of gods and heroes, and the exuberant decoration of the palaces in Peterhof were meant to symbolize the grandeur of Russia, which "having cut a window on Europe" consolidated itself on the shores of the Baltic Sea.  Many celebrated architects, sculptors, artists as well as thousands of talented craftsmen, contributed to the creation of this magnificent monument of Russian culture.  We will return to our ship by a privately chartered hydrofoil across the Gulf of Finland.  After lunch on board the ship, we will have some leisure time before the Captain’s welcome champagne and vodka reception followed by dinner.  Our ship now departs St. Petersburg. BLD

DAY 6, Thursday, August 16, 2007 – We will have breakfast on board the ship as we cruise to Mandrogi.  After a special shashlik (shish kebab) and pastry lunch on board, we will explore Mandrogi which is sprinkled with dachas (country cottages) and get a glimpse of rural Russian life.  We will have dinner on board as our ship departs Mandrogi. BLD

DAY 7, Friday, August 17, 2007 – This morning we will stop at Kizhi Island where we will take a walking tour to explore the collection of wooden architecture that spans the centuries.  We will see the Church of the Transfiguration which was constructed without nails and the Church of the Intercession where Orthodox services are still held.  We will have lunch on board the ship and continue our cruising.  Our dinner this evening will include a blini (thin crepe like pancakes) tasting. BLD

DAY 8, Saturday, August 18. 2007 – Today we will have a full day of relaxation on board as our ship continues to sail along the Volga River. BLD

DAY 9, Sunday, August 19, 2007 – We will arrive in Yaroslavl, founded in the 11th century by Prince Yaroslavl the Wise.  We will visit the Church of Elijah the Prophet and the Spassky Monastery complex, both in the town’s bustling main square.  The Church of Elijah the Prophet is a real treasury of ancient Russian art that enshrines the memory of the talent of many of the best masters; architects, painters, smiths, goldsmiths and carvers.  It is one of the best preserved of the Yaroslavl monuments.  The Spassky Monastery is also very well preserved in the center of Yaroslavl.  The original Monastery dates from the late 12th to the early 13th century.  The oldest surviving building is the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral dating from 1516.  We will return to the ship for lunch as it sails further on the Volga River. BLD

DAY 10, Monday, August 20, 2007 – Today we will arrive at the river town of Uglich where Ivan the Terrible’s son, Dmitry, was murdered in 1591.  We will take a walking tour during which we will see the waterside Kremlin area and the Church of St. – Dmitry – on – the – Blood, whose red walls and blue domes can be seen from the ship.  The ship will depart Uglich in the early afternoon and we will enjoy lunch on board as the ship continues sailing toward Moscow.  This evening we will join the captain for a farewell reception and we will have dinner on board. BLD

DAY 11, Tuesday, August 21, 2007 – This morning we can observe the Russian countryside as the ship sails toward Moscow arriving there in the early afternoon.  Upon arrival we will visit the Tretyakov Gallery, the national gallery of Russia.  The gallery is designed in a distinct fairy tale style and contains the most priceless Russian art in the world.  After our visit here, we will have dinner at a local restaurant before returning to our ship for overnight. BLD

DAY 12, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 – Today we will tour Moscow seeing the gilded onion-domed cathedrals and the other exotic sites of this city.  We will return to the ship for lunch and have an afternoon at leisure.  Free shuttles are available to take us from the ship back to the center of Moscow.  This evening we will have dinner at a local Moscow restaurant, attend a private opera performance after our dinner and then return to our ship. BLD

DAY 13, Thursday, August 23, 2007 – We will celebrate our last full day in Russia with a visit to the Armory before its scheduled opening time.  The Armory contains the opulent treasures of the Russian Czars.  We will visit Red Square where we will see Lenin’s mausoleum and St. Basil’s Cathedral.  We will have lunch in a local restaurant while in the midst of downtown Moscow.  We will return to our ship for our final dinner and overnight. BLD

DAY 14, Friday, August 24, 2007 – We will have breakfast on board the ship and then disembark the MS Glushkov by 9:00AM.  We will be transferred to the Moscow International Sheremetyevo Airport to board our return flights to the United States. BL

Price: $3,800.00.  Price is based on double occupancy without airline taxes and fuel surcharges.  Air from JFK on Lufthansa Airlines.  Air transportation available from other cities.  Single supplement costs available on request.

Final payment due: April 2, 2007

Cancellation Penalties
◊ Before April 12, $300.00 per person.
◊ April 12 - June 12, $300.00 per person plus 25% of the cost of the journey.
◊ After June 12, NO REFUND

An application for travel insurance will be included with the receipt for your deposit.  We strongly recommend that you seriously consider this coverage.

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.