We cruised through supper, and through the evening's entertainment -- a long-haired guitarist and his blond singing partner, who did a lot of Russian ballads; the only one I recognized (the tune, anyway) was one from years ago, known as 'Those were the Days!' in English. When you're my age, the words are very poignant:
"Those were the days, my friend,
We thought they'd never end,
We'd laugh and sing forever and a day.
We'd live the life we'd choose;
We'd fight and never lose.
Those were the days, ah yes, those were the days!"
It is interesting that when one goes to a country like Russia, one sees that they have done just fine without our influence; that they have developed their own ways of doing just about everything, and the people, (especially those in the country, away from the big cities) are hardly interested what Americans are doing.
The
Belinsky sailed on through the night, continuing north and east into Lake Onega, and the next morning we found ourselves off the coast of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic of Karelia...
The name means 'Peter's Foundry' in Russian; it was here in 1703 that Peter made the armaments to fight the Swedes and Finns; thus, the city is older than St Petersburg itself. The sister city for Petrozavodsk in the US is Duluth, Minnesota (birthplace of American songster Bob Dylan). An apt choice. For remoteness, location, size and climate it is a perfect match. It was a chilly morning when we disembarked on the waterfront of this northern capital city
.
We met our guide there, a young woman from the local university; her English was very good, but she seemed bored with Petrozavodsk, and was looking forward to St Petersburg when she graduated. Right at the edge of cold Lake Onega is this striking modern sculpture entitled 'Fishermen Casting Nets'; it was done by a Minnesota sculptor, and was donated to Petrozavodsk for its TriCentennial in 2003...
From the waterfront, we headed uphill into the city proper on Lenin Street. Unlike most of the major cities, Petrozavodsk has not bothered to change the Soviet names; perhaps it is the laid-back nature of Karelians. Many residents are actually Finnish, and the city was occupied by Finnish troops in 1940, who did no damage to any of the monuments. (After all, it was Lenin who granted Finland complete independence_ in 1918.) Here is that man again. This time he is not pointing to the Future, just looking sort of wistfully into the distance...
And in a nearby park, Marx and Engels discuss how to create the Workers' Paradise...
The guide took us shopping in a typical commercial district, to a toy store (a minature Lada Mititia car for the grandson's collection) and a grocery store (for some late night snacks)). Both stores were well-stocked, the staff was helpful and the prices were very reasonable. This was our first opportunity to shop in a non-tourist environment; I was wondering how the people who lived here could afford to live with the prices being what they are for tourists. It's good to see that they can afford to stay here. Leaving the last store, we came upon an old man playing classical music (I think it was Rachmaninoff) on a violin while his two trusty pets listened intently. Phoebe took a picture of them...
While Natasha took a picture of Phoebe, and I fumbled for some rubles to give the old man...
The next corner was the highest point of the city; off to our right, was the St Nicholas Cathedral, seen amid the newer apartment buildings of the city.
Here is the Cathedral from up-close. Inside they were having a morning Liturgy. Natasha and I went inside, but Ed stayed in the surrounding park. Natasha was quite devout, but Ed was not much interested in the churches at all...
The Cathedral was a lot further than it looked in the picture. To get there, we had to descend the hill, walk through this beautiful Central City Park, and then go up the hill to the Cathedral itself...
In fact, it took so long we had to hurry back in order to catch the
Belinsky before it resumed its journey north. And served lunch. We made it with about 5 minutes to spare. Now we were cruising toward the Kizhi Archipelago: a string of small islands in the marshland near the top of Lake Onega. They are called the 'Kizhi Necklace' because of the shape they form around the main island, and because of their delicate beauty...
Most everything up this far before the 20th Century was built of raw logs , and the islands are dotted with small wooden chapels and cabins from the Karelian fishermen who lived here. On the main island, is a famous ensemble of churches from the early 18th Century that were built using only native trees, axes and human skill. No saws, no nails, no electricity. It is truly an amazing place...
As you can see in the distance, there are several ships docked in piggy-back fashion in the small harbor; the
Belinsky was on the outside, so we had to pass thru the other ships to get to the dock. One of the ships was from an American cruise line, and there was a small American News Sheet available at the desk; Ed picked-up one and announced the latest political news with glee. (it was Primary time back in the US of A). Now the very last thing you want to think about when you are far away from America (and enjoying a fantastic vacation on foreign soil) is our sleazy political system. It is shocking how one's fellow Americans on foreign soil can be 180 degrees opposite one's own views and values. (The news that he thought so
great was, to me, the
worst news I'd heard since 9/11.) So, of course, I had to tell him just that. An argument ensued, thankfully interrupted by Natasha and Phoebe. Recovering our reason, we all decided that we would not talk about America, or anything political. After all, nothing spoils a vacation quicker than being reminded of what troubles we thought we'd left behind. (The best thing about Russian newspapers and TV is that you can't make head-nor-tails of what they're saying.)
So we both shut-up and instead took in the fantastic sights offered to us. This is the original ensemble of the Main Island, built between 1713 and 1760
: the Summer Church of the Transfiguration, the Bell Tower, and the Winter Church of the Intercession...
And here is a close-up of the Church of the Transfiguration, probably the most recognized church in Russia, after St Basil's in Moscow...
This church has 22 domes, and they face in all 4 directions; it is the tallest structure in the area, and can be seen from most of the islands and the waterfront of the mainland. It symbolizes the global nature of Orthodoxy and its central part in the life of the people...
Unfortunately the interior was being restructured due to insect damage, so we could not go inside this masterpiece. This is the church's bell tower next door, seen from underneath...
And this is the interior of the smaller winter church, undergoing some minor exterior repairs; it is known as the Church of the Intercession. The iconostasis is metallic paint on wood and quite beautiful...
These 3 main structures were always on the island; there are many other structures in this outdoor museum that were brought here in the 1960s from other nearby places, like Eglov Island and the village of Vorobyi. For example, here is the impressive izba of a wealthy Karelian family of the 18th Century
.
Detail of the carving on the Izba; that white bird at the very top is not carved; it is a live 21st Century gull.
And here is the typical rustic Russian Banya; where you go from a steamy 190 degrees inside (not to mention whacking yourself with birch twigs) then run naked immediately into 59 degree Lake Onega. Refreshing, eh what?!
In a few minutes, we would sit on that split-log bench and listen to a talented Russian bell-ringer turn the belfry of this old transplanted chapel into a one-man carillon...
And finally, this little gem is the Church of St Lazarus of Murom Monastery (1363), the oldest wooden building in Russia, moved here in 1960 from Murom Island...
As we were leaving the island, our guide told us the story of an old Finnish man visiting Kizhi a hew years ago. "Actually, this is my
secondvisit. The first time was from the air." "Really," replied the guide. "When was that?" "December 1940," the old man answered. "I was flying a fighter-bomber and my orders were to blow up this complex, because it was rumored that Red Army troops were hiding in it. But it was so beautiful, I couldn't do it. I dropped the bomb into the lake and flew back to Helsinki and said I'd simply missed the target." "Wow," said the guide. "Is it as beautiful as you remember?" "Oh, it is even
more beautiful now!" And now for us, evening was slowly approaching. It was time to get back on the ship, and have supper; and sail on to the last stop on this 'Magical Mystery Tour'...
