Cruising from Moscow to St. Petersburg ~ Day One

After three and a half days in Moscow, our ship, the MS Tikhi Don, set sail for the cruising part of our trip. It took a little while to get out of Moscow as we sailed up the Moscow Canal toward the Volga River. You can see "old Moscow" with her high-rise apartments interspersed with industrial buildings and warehouses.

The trees along the water are just starting to change their color as the temperatures drop.

Cruise ships line the embankment of the Canal. Some are still moving passengers along the river ways, while others are getting ready to wait out the long winter ahead. Our ship will remain in Moscow after it makes a return cruise near the end of October. It will remain docked in the icy canal where needed repairs will be made under the Captain's supervision.

Soon after leaving port we are all instructed for the emergency drill. This "one size fits all" life jacket is reason enough to hope we don't have to utilize it! Once all passengers are briefed and sure of their places, we settle into a relaxing afternoon of sailing.

 As soon as we get away from the city, the shore takes on a park like atmosphere. There are many places with children's play equipment and picnic tables. As we get further north we notice the leaves on the trees are starting to turn brilliant hues of gold and red.

The canal is dotted with splashes of color.

There are many places along this part of the Canal where you find pleasure boats of all sizes. We saw many men out in small boats fishing, and in other boats, large and small, just enjoying the water.

Still others were fishing from the shore.

Dotted all along the Canal were these lovely church steeples with their colorful onion-domed tops. It seems that every village, town, or city has an abundance of churches. We will find in the days ahead that in some cases, the buildings are used as museums. But most are still actively utilized for worship.

                                                                         There is no lack for creativity in the decor of the churches. We saw every color, gilt and shape imaginable. 

Over the next six days we will pass through 17 locks, taking us down over 800 feet, through rivers, reservoirs, and lakes. Many of the stations still bear witness to the Soviet Union and the circumstances under which the locks were constructed.

Passage through each of the locks was smooth and swift. When passing through them at night, we never had an inkling of activity. During the day, this procedure became a favorite viewing pastime for many of the passengers. We completed our first day of sailing with the Captain's Welcome Dinner and an accordion concert, then settled in for a comfortable night's sleep.

My next post will take us to Uglich. Stay tuned!