Wandering Lizard

Foreign Travel

Moscow - St. Petersburg

For the most part our weather was delightful. We had a few showers in Yaroslavl and a thunderous rain shower on the afternoon of our last day in St. Petersburg, but all of the rest of the time there was blue sky and sunshine. Mornings and evenings could be chilly, but one rarely needed a coat during the day. In Goritsi a hat and sunscreen would have been useful. As we moved north, the days grew longer and the nights shorter, but very few of the passengers stayed up to see the "White Nights" when the sky remains as bright as day all night long. Most of us were tired after our excursions and we usually turned in around nine or ten o'clock. Our fellow travelers were mostly American, but there were a few other nationalities in the collection of characters. All of them were delightful and we had a number of interesting conversations and shared a lot of laughs. The general atmosphere was very relaxed. Clothing was informal and practical. Our principal guides stayed with us throughout the tour and were always available for questions and advice. We got the impression that English language skills were severely limited, at least in the part of Russia in which we were traveling, but the guides that were with us spoke from adequate to superb English and anticipated most of our questions and needs. They were also extremely well educated in Russian history and remarkably patient. Some were genuinely friendly once you got used to the fact that most Russians do not smile at strangers very often. All of our tours were well planned and went smoothly with the guides working harmoniously together. On board the ship our guides lectured on Russian food, language, and history and gave advice on shopping for souvenirs and handicrafts. At one point the captain opened the bridge and answered questions about his ship and navigation.

Tourism in Russia for the uninitiated can be a bit awkward and quite expensive. There are very few modestly priced accommodations for tourists. Moscow is said to be the most expensive city in the world right now with St. Petersburg also in the running. Hotels can cost up to $1,000 a night for a standard room and, at the other end of the scale, a trip to the water closet in a museum can cost from 25 cents to one dollar. The price of admission to most of the museums that we visited was included in the Viking Tour so we do not have any idea of those costs, but one church/museum that we explored on our own in St. Petersburg cost $15 per person with the usual $5 charge for photography. Another consideration for those contemplating independent travel (which we prefer) is the difficulty of language. Very few people we met along the way spoke English except for the guides and the clerks in stores catering to tourists. The only English text that we saw outside of museums was on graffiti, young people's t-shirts, and an occasional museum sign. People that one runs into on the street are not outgoing although we did have one delightful adventure with a lady lawyer who abducted us and acted as our tour guide one afternoon when we had some free time in a small town. One gets the impression that foreigners are tolerated by most of the populace because they bring commerce to a country that badly needs it. Petroleum and natural gas are introducing enormous cash flows into the country, but distribution of that wealth is, as yet, grossly imperfect.

Before Perestroika, travel in Russia was, of course, controlled through Intourist and backed up by the KGB. The James Bond movies may not have been historically accurate, but they did capture the flavor of the experience of travel behind the iron curtain. Although the country is undergoing massive political change, there is still a bit of the past lingering in a tour led by Russian guides. Great emphasis is placed on promptness and wandering away from the group is reluctantly tolerated, but very obviously not appreciated. There is a lot of nose counting and an occasional warning that, if one's behavior strays too far from the norm, the guide's license (livelihood) can be in danger. On the other hand, there are some definite advantages to traveling with a major tour company and this Viking Tour has some additional advantages. The first of which is that one lives on the ship. This is convenient and inexpensive compared with the alternatives. Second, the food is excellent and plentiful. Third, the tour includes a good selection and variety of the major sites to see including rural Russian towns and major cities. Fourth, all transportation is provided and is reliable. Fifth, the guides are very experienced and extremely knowledgeable. They do not dodge difficult questions and are frank in their answers even when if requires criticism of their own country. At the same time they are, without exception, proud of their heritage and fiercely Russian in their attitudes and opinions. A conversation with them can be educational for any American who has lived a life sheltered from the realities and complexities of international politics.

This trip was wonderful in every way and it is very highly recommended. Although the itinerary would work equally well in reverse I would suggest that ideally the surprises of Moscow should be first and the magnificence of St. Petersburg should be saved for last. We simply did not have any unpleasant experiences anywhere on this trip. Even my arrest and fine for taking a picture of a poster in the subway in St. Petersburg was handled firmly, but politely; and I later learned that I had not been overcharged for the misdemeanor (although at the time I thought that the official making the arrest was after beer money because I had not seen any signs prohibiting photography). Our biggest complaint was that we did not have enough time in each of the places visited, but we definitely packed more into the time available than would have been possible if we did not have the Viking crew running interference for us. They unerringly led us to the highlights at each stop and flawlessly facilitated each of our visits. Even the incessant nose counting makes sense when one contemplates the impact on a tight schedule that would be necessitated by hunting for a lost passenger, let alone the inconvenience of getting lost in rural Russia for the poor soul who missed their bus. At one point we actually had to pick up a passenger from another ship that had missed her boat. It took her two days to rejoin her husband.

For most of my adult life I have had to contemplate and prepare for a possible conflict with Russia. In a small church in a modest village in the middle of this gigantic country, while admiring ancient frescos and listening to a local guide pour out the genuine love that she felt for her heritage, I realized a profound feeling of fellowship with her and was infinitely thankful that we had not had to go to war with these people.

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