Kizhi Island, a Gem in Lake Onega

Friday marks the mid point of our river cruise and a highlight of the Grand Circle Russian line. At this juncture of Lake Onega, the two Russian ships, the Tikhi Don and the Rossia, cross paths. And when that happens there is much cheering, waving, and singing going on! This Lake is so huge, it's like two ships meeting in the open sea.

Our musicians delight us in preparation for the blini demonstration coming up.

In the early afternoon we assemble in the President's Lounge for a "Blini party." Our chef Aleksander will teach us how to make and, more importantly, how to flip a blin. This is the Russian version of a crepe, or thin pancake. Once the blin is cooked, a variety of fillings can be folded into it for a sweet or savory Russian treat. I put honey, jam and sour cream in mine.

A "real" chef doesn't need measuring cups and spoons!

No sooner had we eaten our fill of blini than the charming island of Kizhi appeared on the horizon. I had heard about this stop from Bill, who had taken this same trip five years ago, and knew it was going to be something really special.

As our ship closes in on the island we begin to see some of the wooden structures that mark this place a UNESCO World Heritage site. The population of the island is around 90, although thousands of visitors come annually to see the unusual churches. The area began to be populated by the Russians in the 11th-12th centuries. Kizhi soon became an important meeting place for orthodox believers and the earliest mention of the Kizhi churches was in the mid 1500's.

These are the two most prominent churches. On the left is the Church of the Transfiguration, originally intended as a summer church, with services held only in summer months. On the right is the Church of Intercession, built sometime in the mid 1700's. Both churches are now used as museums.

                            Coming up to the churches from the ship, we get a beautiful silhouette of the twenty-two domes on the Transfiguration church. The Church of Intercession is lovely in its simplicity.

One entire wall in the Church of Intercession is filled with colorful icons.



There were not as many little shops here as in the other villages we visited. Looking by myself was no fun and Graham wasn't the least bit interested. We came back to the ship before the others, so my best shopping buddy, Lois, wasn't with me either! I left Kizhi Island empty-handed!

We paused here for a glimpse of our ship at the dock. It's getting colder as we travel on our northward path towards St. Petersburg. Kizhi is our northernmost port.

Tonight we celebrate Ukrainian Cuisine in the dining room. Our waitstaff is dressed in Ukrainian attire and the menu includes Borsch and Chicken Kiev. We settle in tonight and anticipate our next stop on Onega Lake, Petrozavodsk.