Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Saturday, June 26, 2010: Group gathers at the Dulles/JFK Airport.
Day 2, Sunday, June 27, 2010: Arrival to Moscow – Airport Sheremetyevo 2. Transfer to the hotel. Check in and some time to rest. Supper at the hotel. Includes: (D).
Day 3, Monday, June 28, 2010: We will start our day by a visit to Sretenskiy Monastery, one of the oldest and most venerable monasteries in Moscow. From here we will proceed to Moscow Kremlin. Kremlin (kremlin is a general term used to described the strongly fortified central part of the Medieval Russian City). The Moscow Kremlin is a true Pride of Russia. It has some magnificent cathedrals, among which there is famous Uspenskiy (Dormition) Cathedral, once the place of the election of the Russian Patriarch. The Patriarch's Palace contains some unique Artifacts, and the Museum "Oryzheynaya Palata” (the Armory yard) has the "Pearls" of Russia's treasures. Lunch.
Red Square - our visit here will include the "Picture of Russia," the famous Cathedral of St. Basil that just recently underwent an extensive exterior renovation, the church of Our Lady of Kazan, and the monument to Marshal Zhukov - an iconic image associated with the national victory in World War II. Some free time will be given to explore the vicinity of the most famous of all Russian squares. GUM, one of the largest and most fashionable Russian Malls and a modern splendidly decorated underground Mall are literally adjacent to the Red Square. A number of restaurants in the vicinity can accommodate any taste and budget. The bus will pick us up at 8:00 pm for transfer to the hotel. Includes: (B), (L).
Day 4, Tuesday, June 29, 2010: Buffet breakfast at the hotel. We will start our day by a visit to SS. Martha and Mary Convent, established by Grand Duchess and Royal Martyr Elizabeth. Here we can visit with nuns and volunteers who continue the unmercenary work of charity started by Saintly Royalty. Donskoy Monastery – historically important place, the “jail” and resting place of the Russian Patriarch Tikhon. In the afternoon we will visit the Tretyakov gallery, a very fine collection of Russian art from 10th to the 20th centuries. In the attached museum church you may see the miracle-working “patron” Icon of Russia, Our Lady of Vladimir. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 5, Wednesday, June 30, 2010: Buffet breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we will travel some miles east of Moscow to the small town of Sergiev Posad, famous for its Holy Trinity Lavra (Monastery). The monastic settlement here was established by St. Sergius in the 14th century and became the single most important spiritual center of all of Russia. We will have time to explore the territory of the monastery, with a number of churches, and adjacent territory with a number of little shops. On our way back we will stop to visit a church built on a place where Fr. Alexander Men, famous Russian Missionary and writer was assassinated. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 6, Thursday, July 1, 2010: We will start our last day in Moscow with a visit to Izmailovskiy Market, which has in recent years became a site to visit on its own. From there we will pursue to the Novospasskiy Monastery, another venerable monastic foundation in the heart of the city. After Lunch we will the largest functioning Orthodox Church in the World, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This magnificent building was demolished in the 1930s and has been rebuilt in recent years, becoming a symbol of changes in the country and the resurrection of the religious life in all of Russia. After visit to the Cathedral we will continue to Arbat Street, an alternative Moscow pedestrian zone, place of art galleries and one of the prime places for souvenir shopping. Later in the evening, we will transfer to a train station for an overnight ride to the Ancient Russian City of Pskov. Train # 010 (Moscow - Pskov), departure 7:25pm, arrival to Pskov at 7:00am. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 7, Friday, July 2, 2010: After breakfast, we will visit Pechori Monastery – important spiritual center of NW Russia from Medieval times and till the present day. Tradition of elderhood did not die here even till the present day. We also be able to visit monastic cemetery in the underground system of caves that were formed by an underground river millenniums ago. In the city of Pskov we will visit the Kremlin that is nested right over the high bank of the Velikaya River and Mirozhskiy Monastery with the only in Russia surviving composition cycle of the Byzantine frescoes. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 8, Saturday, July 3, 2010: This morning we will transfer to a beautiful Russian city of Novgorod. Novgorod, is a quiet, clean, typical provincial city of Russia’s North-West. But its thousand year history is it truly unique. Upon our arrival we will visit St. George Monastery - arguably the oldest Russian Monastery with the Cathedral of St. George dating back to the 11th century. Then we will continue on to Vitoslavitsi, the museum of Wooden Architecture that has the finest collection of the wooden architecture of the Russian North. There are a lot of wooden churches, houses, barns and wells. These wooden monuments have been brought from various regions of Russia for preservation purposes as well as a display of a variety of wooden architectural styles. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 9, Sunday, July 4, 2010: We will start our day by attending Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Sophia. After liturgy we continue to explore the main attraction of Novgorod, the Medieval Kremlin. The buildings of the Novgorod Kremlin date back to the 11th -16th centuries. The most special of them all is the Cathedral of St. Sophia, built in the 11th century, and which has survived largely intact trough its thousand year history. In addition to the Cathedral, we will visit several historic and art exhibits in the museums of Kremlin. After Lunch we will visit the Market square, the central point of the Medieval city’s commerce and interaction. A number of churches in close proximity to each other serve as a tribute to the piety of Novgorod’s tradesmen.
From the Market place, also known as Yaroslav’s court, we will walk down Il’ina street for a visit to Znamensky cathedral. This church was build in dedication to the famous miracle working icon, our Lady of the Sign (Znamenye), the paladin of Novgorod. The nearby Transfiguration church (13th century) still contains some of the original frescoes painted by renown Medieval iconographer Theophanes the Greek. In the evening an optional boat ride on Volkhov River can be organized for you to enjoy the splendid panoramas of the city. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 10, Monday, July 5, 2010: This morning we will transfer to splendid Northern Capital of Russia, magnificient city of St. Petersburg. Here we will visit the State Russian Museum, which houses the most comprehensive collection of Russian Art from its Byzantine Origins up to the present day. The museum always offers a lot of temporary exhibitions for an additional cost. Practically adjacent to the Museum stands the famous "Savior of the Spilt Blood," or Holy Resurrection Cathedral, that was built to commemorate Russian Tsar Alexander II who was mortally wounded on that very place by terrorists. Magnificent by all means, it is nicely decorated on the outside with tablets on which Tsar Alexander’s laws and orders are inscribed, along with the dates of the most important events that had taken place during his reign.
The inside of the Cathedral is completely covered with mosaics. There are over 21 thousand square feet of mosaics inside and outside the Cathedral. Near by Souvenir market present wonderful opportunity to shop for presents and various memorabilia. At the end of the day we will visit Alexander-Nevsky Lavra, a beautiful monastery that at one point was one of the biggest and famous in Imperial Russia. We will tour the grounds of the Monastery, including the magnificent Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and the cemetery where many famous Russian artists, writers and actors are buried. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 11, Tuesday, July 6, 2010: One of the most famous Russian Monasteries that is located on the islands of Valaam Archipelago has a tremendous importance to all Orthodox in America. It is from here, toward the end of the 18th century that a small group of monks left on a missionary trip toward far away Alaska. For its prestige and importance monastery was nick-named the “Athos of the North”. Desecrated during the Soviet times, monastery is now largely restore and once again serves as a refuge to those who seek to serve Heavenly Master in the most perfect way. We will visit several sketes of the monastery, will see the main compound and will walk to the pristine woods of the islands. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 12, Wednesday, July 7, 2010: Upon our return from Valaam we will explore the vicinity of the city. First on our list is a Tour of the State Historical Park "Tsarskoe Selo" (Tsar's village), one of the summer residences of the Romanov dynasty with the splendid Catherine's Summer Palace. Built in the second half of the 18th century, it represents the glory of Russia's "Golden Age". The interiors of the palace are fully restored after they were savagely destroyed in WWII. The most recently restored amber now once again conquers the imagination of visitors.
Just before lunch, we will visit St. Sophia’s Cathedral, a unique architectural monument from the beginning of 19th century. Abandoned and partly destroyed during the Communist Era, this Cathedral welcomes visitors in its restored glory. After lunch we will continue the exploration of St. Petersburg's suburbs with a visit to Pavlovsk. Here you will see a country residence, the Palace of Paul the First, the son and successor of Catherine the Great. This Imperial getaway is surrounded by a Romantic English-Russian Park with spectacular landscapes. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 13, Thursday, July 8, 2010: We will start our day by a visit to St. John of Rila Monastery on Karpovka River. It was founded by Saintly Priest John of Kronstadt. Here, in the convent he found his resting place as well. From there we will continue onto the State Hermitage, once the Winter Palace of the Russian Tsars, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of Fine Arts. Countless artifacts on exhibit cover the evolution of Art from the Neolithic time and Ancient Egypt up until the beginning of the 20th century. After lunch we will visit splendidly decorated Cathedral of St. Isaac, one of the world’s largest domed Cathedrals. Never a parish church, it was built as a dedication to the Heavenly Patron of Peter the Great, St. Isaac of Dalmatia. The cathedral is very Western in style, but adorned with definitely Eastern lavishness. The panoramic view of St. Petersburg from its observation deck around the dome is truly magnificent. Includes: (B), (L).
Day 14, Friday, July 9, 2010: Today, after breakfast we will start with the exploration of SS. Peter and Paul Fortress that is located in the very heart of St. Petersburg. The day when the ground was broken to build this first stronghold in the newly regained Russian lands became the birthday of St. Petersburg. After a visit to the fortress – which also serves as a final resting place for the Russian Rulers of Romanov dynasty – we will travel by hydrofoil for about one hour to Peterhof - yet another splendid suburb of St. Peterburg. After lunch, we will Tour of the Historical State Park "Peterhof" with its world famous Golden Palace that is surrounded by a Park with arcades of golden fountains. We will finish our day in Peterhof with a stop at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, an Orthodox Architectural Masterpiece build in Neo-Russian style. This church is also famous for an interesting ceramic iconostasis and rich decoration of the interior. Includes: (B), (L).
Day 15, Sunday, July 10, 2010: Transfer to the airport. Departure back home. Includes: (B).
Note: Roundtrip Group Airfare out of Dulles Airport (Washington, D.C.) is available at 1200 USD per person.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices:
- USD 3200 per person, based on double occupancy
- Single supplement: USD 750
- Sign up: 500 USD non-refundable deposit
* The deadline for signing is March 27, 2010.
Price Includes:
- Accommodations in "***" hotels
- Two/three meals daily, as per itinerary
- Private bus transportation
- Two nights/one day cruise to Valaam
- An overnight sleeper train from Moscow to Pskov
- All admissions to the scheduled museums
- Professional tour guides
- English speaking guide/escort.
Price Excludes:
- Personal health/accident insurance
- Airfare tickets (available at 1200 USD)
- Fee for Russian visa
- Private transfers, additional (optional) tours and tickets to unscheduled show/concerts or museums
- Tips to bus drivers and tour guides.
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