Lectures On The Volga
We all wanted to see what Volga had to offer tourists when we read a brochure of its cruise while on the Soviet motor ship Alexander Pushkin. Close to making a minor historical finding was our experience on board the first Volga cruise that was made up of only Americans. In these waters ships that have passengers, mostly workers on break, families on a holiday, come through.
Made near Vienna, Alexander Pushkin stretches about 360 feet wide, can carry 220 people on board and moves swiftly. Being able to keep our bunks was great since we had and did enjoy our fine champagne parties. Moving along Don, slowly for 10 days and 1,135 miles was our journey for Rostov.
The Volga cruise was the centerpiece of a 24 day tour that began with a flight to Helsinki and took us by ocean ferry to Tallinn, night train to Riga, a flight to Odessa and Krasnodar and bus to Rostov on Don. When the cruise ended we got the chance to fly to Moscow and Leningrad. Most American travel agencies do not have cruises to the Volga partially because the soviet agencies want ships to be rented out. Still, the widening of around ten new vessels allows individual passengers to take the cruise given the boat is not full yet.
The amount it would cost is around $1,900 for the two or three cruises a New York based company is trying to put together. Averaging $700 to $800 is the Volga cruises which also give you the opportunity to meet people and see the shore sides. Getting the chance to see the places the day is amazing while at night the boat moves forward to another location.
Along for the tour are nine professors who give us an insight on the soviet foreign and its domestic policies. Lectures and speeches end the discussion we have on the table. The benefit we get is we are being boat bound with the Russians. Dancing and playing and flirting were some of the thing these people did. A never ending discussion awaits what with the amount of beer and vodka and brandy these people take in.
Every morning we can hear the current of the river in our rooms. The vast expanse of Volga has changed over time as many hydroelectric companies have emerged creating small lakes in the river. Old villages, flooded away, have been replaced by smoking factories and giant grey apartment complexes looming above the remaining onion dome churches. Now, life bustles in the rebuilt Volgograd.
Comprehensive information on kamchatka tours is found on there. Learn more on the topic of kamchatka peninsula.