Carol's Russian River Cruise Photos
Here at New Horizons Travel, we had a busy July...we're booking well into 2014 and 2015. Among the most popular are river cruises in Europe, Asia and even Russia. Just a reminder to those since "thinking" about a river cruise in Europe in 2014, they are selling out fast on all itineraries and river cruise lines with balcony cabins going the fastest.
Speaking of Russia and river cruising, Carol and Pat have just returned from their AMA Waterways cruise with a ton of pictures (all 488 photos!) and many experiences to share! After a long flight over the Atlantic pond, the group arrived in St. Petersburg to spend a couple days to catch their breaths, get into vacation mode, and of course sightsee St. Petersburg. It was apparent from the beginning that this trip would be a crash course in history.
Most everything in Russia that was in the sight of tourists was gold and glitter. There were lot of Catherines and Elizabeths of royal families and all of which had impact to the Russian rich history. An abundance of European artwork adorned the walls of the palaces - quoting Carol "when you have walls of 200 rooms to fill, it didn't matter if you liked the artwork or not, you just had to fill the walls so the art is electric and from all over Europe." The group visited to the Hermitage - Catherine's Palace and the Summer Palace. The palaces were "breathtakingly beautiful with gold both inside and out; everything polished and shined as if the grand ball was about to begin." Not surprisingly, not everything in Russia is gold and glitter - the toll that communism took remains as a constant reminder in the drab gray buildings and structures just a block or two away.
Russia is a must for history buffs, as each turn reveals something of the past. However, foodies be warned that meals may look delicious, but it isn't always pleasing to our American palettes. Where food was lacking, Carol and the group made up with wine and vodka - both of which were exceptional!
The weather was much like our Southern California June gloom - overcast in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. Even by Russian standards, the mild weather they encountered was the nicest it had been that season. Carol said, "if you're going to do Russia, this is as good as it'll get."
Speaking of Russia and river cruising, Carol and Pat have just returned from their AMA Waterways cruise with a ton of pictures (all 488 photos!) and many experiences to share! After a long flight over the Atlantic pond, the group arrived in St. Petersburg to spend a couple days to catch their breaths, get into vacation mode, and of course sightsee St. Petersburg. It was apparent from the beginning that this trip would be a crash course in history.
Most everything in Russia that was in the sight of tourists was gold and glitter. There were lot of Catherines and Elizabeths of royal families and all of which had impact to the Russian rich history. An abundance of European artwork adorned the walls of the palaces - quoting Carol "when you have walls of 200 rooms to fill, it didn't matter if you liked the artwork or not, you just had to fill the walls so the art is electric and from all over Europe." The group visited to the Hermitage - Catherine's Palace and the Summer Palace. The palaces were "breathtakingly beautiful with gold both inside and out; everything polished and shined as if the grand ball was about to begin." Not surprisingly, not everything in Russia is gold and glitter - the toll that communism took remains as a constant reminder in the drab gray buildings and structures just a block or two away.
Russia is a must for history buffs, as each turn reveals something of the past. However, foodies be warned that meals may look delicious, but it isn't always pleasing to our American palettes. Where food was lacking, Carol and the group made up with wine and vodka - both of which were exceptional!
The weather was much like our Southern California June gloom - overcast in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. Even by Russian standards, the mild weather they encountered was the nicest it had been that season. Carol said, "if you're going to do Russia, this is as good as it'll get."
Photos courtesy of Carol
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| Jean and Pat drinking champagne at the beginning of their trip |
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| First day in St. Petersburg...cobblestones leading to Cathedral |
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| The tour guide wore very tall heels because there is a height require for the job. Now imagine walking all around town wearing these! |
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| Cathedral...one of many in St. Petersburg |
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| Pat in front of another Cathedral |
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| And another...Russian church |
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| There were mini canals built by Peter the Great to make Russia look like Venice, Italy. |
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| Kathleen looking beautiful and on vacation |
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| Chandeliers at Church |
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| Les and Susie having lunch |
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| Aviary |
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| Throne |
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| Inlay hardwood floors |
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| Gardens |
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| AMA Waterways category E cabin |
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| Catherine's Palace |
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| Catherine the Great's Outfit |
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| Guest quarters |
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| lunch onboard the cruise |
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| Carol, Pat and Colleen |
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| Kizhi |
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| Samovar for Russian Tea - a sign of wealth |
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| Jean at AMA Katerina |
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| Elizabeth's Dress |
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| Dinner setting aboard |
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| Yaroslavl |
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| Moscow |
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| High end shopping center in Moscow |
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| Kathleen, Pat and Jean on a Moscow river boat lunch |
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