So, you've seen some of our first, magnificent scenes from St. Petersburg.
And perhaps you know by now that we're on the Viking River Cruise called The Waterways of the Czars, cruising from St. Petersburg to Moscow.
We'll try to post more photos soon, including more from the wonderful old city of St. Petersburg (which once was the capital of Russia) and from the many towns and villages we'll stop at along the way.
But, what can we tell you about Russia so far?
Well, it's hard to generalize because this is the largest nation, by land mass in the world. It's vast and it spans Europe and Asia. There is so much open land; some of the world's largest lakes, vast forests, mountains, large and small rivers and numerous borders -- from Finland on one side to China on the other.
And yes, the western edge of Russia is not very far from some parts of Alaska. You can check it out on the map.
In fact, right now where we are in Russia is pretty much on the same latitude as Alaska -- far north of the continental United States. So, the weather here is similar to what it would be in Alaska at this time of year.
Now, everyone told us to go to Alaska at the end of May/beginning of June because they said the weather would be nice then -- sunny and mild. But for much of the time we were there Alaska was cloudy, damp and drizzly. And Russia is very similar. For us so far, grey skies have prevailed. We'll call it gloomy weather.
And though Russians are quite friendly in their own way, for the most part they do not show the world a smile. They're typical public face is more serious than smiling. Given the history between America and Russia you would think this would be cause for concern at first, especially inasmuch as Americans always want to be loved. But this generally tempered approach by the Russians works well because it eliminates any suspicion of pretentiousness and when they do smile it's well worth the wait.
When you tour the vast palaces and former holdings of the czars (and there are many here) you begin to understand why there was a bloody revolution that overthrew the monarchy. In fact, the whole history of Russia seems to be one of struggle and can be cataloged via various wars and uprisings replete for heroes and victims, victors and vanquished.
Russia suffered terribly during World War II at the hands of the Germans. And this is a story that has perhaps not been told enough. But Russia refused to give in. The Russians fought on, costing Germany mightily in terms of money, manpower and equipment. And this made all the difference for the allies who might not have won the war if Hitler had not attempted to fight it on two fronts -- or. let us say, had not been forced to do so. And of course Russia prevailed in the end. The Russians will be happy to remind you of all this and they are mostly right to do so.
And that's just one chapter in the history of this vast country.
We're trying to soak up as much of all of it as we can
And, we'll keep you posted as we move along . . . .
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