If It's Monday, It Must Be Yaroslavl

Time is picking up speed as we move toward the homestretch of our trip.  One more stop tomorrow (Tuesday) before arriving in Moscow.  


Our ship, the Viking Truvor, docked on the Volga
River as seen from the Governor's House

 Today we sailed into Yaroslavl, a bit behind schedule as a dense morning fog over the Volga River halted us in our tracks.   We passed the morning in one of the ongoing lectures, this one entitled "Putin and the Economy", and they kept referring in their sometimes funny English to Vladimir Putin as "The Putin".   We can see why, though, he was re-elected in a landslide because the economy has grown very solidly since he came to power at the end of the Yeltsin era.  In fact the speaker noted that Russians had grown so tired of having a drunken, bumbling leader (Brehznev and then Yeltsin) and are solidly behind "The Putin" because not only his performance guiding Russia in its fledgling democracy but also his physical fitness (and we saw photos of him doing martial arts, driving a race car, riding a motorcycle, etc.)

At 3:00 p.m. we disembarked for our city tour of Yaroslavl which stretches for 18 miles on both banks of the Volga River.  Founded in 1010 AD by Yaroslav the Wise (Kievan Rus) on the very spot where he killed a bear, it developed into a major commercial center by the 11th. century.   Renowned for its numerous 17th. century churches it became a premier example of urban planning .  The 1917 October Revolution triggered massive destruction of its 77 churches and 23 monasteries, with 60% destroyed by revolutionaries by the end of the 1920's.   Our guide indicated that the Communists simply got tired and couldn't destroy any more.  And, those that remain are wondrous indeed.

Our first stop was the Governor's House which originally was the home of the governor of the province, it is now a living museum of Russian art, history, and culture.   Aside from the many masterpieces by Russian painters, there was some absolutely massive and beautifully carved furniture.  The hallmark, though, of this visit was the guides who were dressed in period costume, and showed us in the ballroom what a typical social event would've looked like.   Men in uniforms danced with young women and involved people from the tour group, too.

Inside the magnificent Church of Elijah the Prophet

From here, the next stop was the magnificent Church of Elijah the Prophet which was filled with ancient pews, icons, and unique frescoes.  And, in a small room just before exiting, we were treated to two acapella songs - one Russian hymn followed by the "Volga Boat Song" - by a quintet of young Russian men.   Again, as at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, we succumbed to the "gotta have it" pressure and bought two CDs.   I am looking forward to hearing them on a quality sound system and suspect many of these tunes will wind up as the soundtrack for the video I create of trip highlights.




The Eternal Flame tribute fronts the Church of Redemption
on the site of the original founding of Yaroslavl



Our final stop was a beautiful city park which sat on the site of the founding of Yaroslavl.    Yet another beautiful Russian Orthodox church - the Church of Redemption - sat on the former site of Yaroslavl's Kremlin (fortress), and the associated park overlooks the Volga River and a beautiful peninsula featuring a large bear figure waiting for its flowers to bloom.   A tribute to the Russian military is also in the area with an eternal flame present along with several flower arrangements to commemorate the dead.

A return to the ship and dinner followed.   Tomorrow we start early for our shore excursion and a guided walk and visit to the grounds of the former Kremlin in Uglich, followed by a visit to the home of a Russian family.  Uglich is said to feature one of Russia's most beautiful churches, the Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood, but it is hard to imagine anything more beautiful than what we saw today.   I'll let you know for sure in tomorrow's posting.

PS - Cheryl said to tell all those who know her that she's eating ice cream for lunch and dinner, and that she was "born to live this way".