Here is the sunset over Lake Ladoga; it is 11:30 PM on the good ship
Vissarion Belinsky....
Definitely, time to go to sleep. It is very restful to lie in bed as the ship glides through the water in the night. (Valaam is the furthest north we have been so far; just south of 62' latitude, which puts it a lot closer to the Arctic Circle (and the land of the midnight sun) than to the Tropic of Cancer.) In the morning, we arrive at Svirstroy, a small Karelian Village located on the Svir River, which links Lake Ladoga with Europe's second largest lake, Lake Onega. In cruise literature, it is called a 'Green Stop'. It has the feel of a small town somewhere in the wilderness of Northern Maine. The apple blossoms are in full bloom today, providing a lovely setting for the towers of the St Alexander Svirsky Monastery beyond the trees...
Alexander Svirsky (his religious name, like that of another saint, Alexander Nevsky, is taken from the local river, Svir) had a vision of the Holy Trinity here in 1484; he founded a monastery on this site. A couple of years ago, having fully restored it to its former beauty, they celebrated the 500 anniversary of the completion of the buildings. They were so proud, they left sign up.
So proud, in fact, that they left their Christmas tree up inside. Although it was June, the interior of most Russian churches (particularly here in Karelia) is cool year-round...
Opposite the monastery is the Church of the Holy Trinity. The bright greensward in front was actually the burial ground of many of the monks who resided here over the centuries. (the markers were removed by the Soviets in the 1930s); a few years ago, a Russian Cross was put there to remember them all...
If you look closely at the top of the bell tower on the left of the church, you will see what-appear-to-be 2 statues; they are actually 2 workmen doing some dangerous maintenance. how they got up there I can only guess: probably from the inside up to the belfry, and then by rope up to the roof-top.
As we were leaving the Monastery, Natasha took time to contemplate the natural beauty of the Karelian riverside...
And here is what she is looking at across the Svir river: a lovely wooden chapel recently built there.
But now it is time to head back to dock where the
Belinskyawaits us to serve lunch, and continue the journey. a local commuter bus,
circa 1960, is chartered for that purpose. And we are soon on our way again, cruising up the Svir River. On the shore are the Dachalands of the Russian people...
In America, people tend to build their vacation homes off to themselves. But the Russian culture has always been communal, long before Communism took over. On this shore, city friends and neighbors, co-workers, relatives gather to build their simple wood shelters. During Soviet times, the land was often given by State-run industries as part of their wage. Some of these older
dachashave no electricity, nor running water. But they all have little gardens.
And the people come down to the river on the dusty trails and wave to the ships that pass by. They all look very happy to be out in the country-side. As we approach Lake Onega, the
Belinsky slows. We are approaching a huge canal lock, part of the great Volga-Baltic Waterway. This particular lock was built in 1952, under Comrade Stalin, mostly with GULAG prisoners. We line-up behind tankers and freighters and log-laden barges to be lifted-up to the next water level as we approach Lake Onega. The canal follows the same path as one originally laid-out in the 18th Century. But this one, though it shows a lot of wear and tear, is only 50-years old.
The canal also serves as a hydroelectric plant. The remote parts of Russia are dotted with these Industrial bascilicas to the working Man'saradise devised by Comrade Stalin. But they also are a great means of transportation in a country were roads are very 'iffy'. Here we are exiting the locks on a new level of the Svir river...
Not far up stream, a solitary fisherman plies his home-made trade. The Russian people are a resouceful lot; in the toughest of circumstances, they have learned to survive. They raise bees for their honey, they gather berries and mushrooms in the forests, the fish the streams and rivers and lakes, they grow hardy root vegetables like potatoes and carrots and cabbage and beets in backyard plots. They can never be defeated...
