Czars' waterway

From the Google 'living map' above you can follow the entire schedule with desired scale.

So special a trip that I am afraid to begin the story. What else than chronological order, just as always. But what to tell and what not and do I remember at least the best points, as we had almost a minute schedule to follow. (Click the picture aside and you will see our itinerary larger and a group of links to places along it.)

Usually we travel in an intime group knowing everybody. This time we did not know anybody in advance. Some, however, were known. And we get, of course, acquainted with some people. In another week we would have had many new acquaintances and this travel story would accordingly reach many people. A live discussion might arise, because of so many new impressions. I gave people many cards with my addresses, but did not ask people theirs. My experience is that this way you do not get adresses. Here is a link to a page, where you will get my card. You can download it and replace my information with your own and print 12 cards on an ordinary paper. Very handy. I have used such cards for more than 10 years.

Even if we would regard that usually the last trip, anything last, is the best of all, I believe that this particular trip remains one of the most splendid after many new. Few trips have been expected with such exitement as this. In Finland such an impression prevails that in Russia nothing works and everything is somehow in disorder. I should know better having 50 years learned the language and the culture and perhaps some tewenty times been in the country, true only half a dozen times after the Soviet Union and never so far from Moscow or St Petersburg as now. At once I must say that everything works perfectly now.

I am worried in advance of how such a big group can be carried by train. Not even a ticket was delivered and should we really eat properly in advance, because there will be only one restaurant wagon. No chance to start with Russian specialities already on train. A year ago I had such nice experiences. Still at the train station I wonder, how I can with my limited ability to move... But no problems. Maybe Tullevi had paid attention to my complaints and placed us in the first wagon.

We get acquainted with the wagon servant Olga at once and she gives us the menu and promises to carry us anything we choose. Choice is plenty, but we do not hesitate long: Julienne and fish selyanka cannot be avoided. It is only good that we do not pay much attention to the wine list, but order in honour of the quite special trip a whole bottle, which then turns out to cost almost double of the price of the meal . Olga on delivering the chek is clearly worried of what we will say. But good only that we did not pay attention to the price. We would most probaly not have taken the wine, a big mistake, because never have I tasted so good a wine. I do not remember anything else but the price of 1500 roubles and the year 2002. Hereafter we did not order any wine except champaigne. Russia is no wine country, but in stead a country of champaigne that is sparkling wine. That we have always known. Sovetskoe igristoe has always been good enough for me, even if no other sparkling.

On my previous trip to Moscow I was astonished to notice how much the train oscillates before and after St Petersburg quite as in nineteenseventies, when I travelled this way more often. I was afraid of falling from the bed, but no harm because the oscillation is sideways, head and legs, and I also had the feeling that it was not so heavy oscillation as earlier. We wonder, however, how they can materialize the promised 3 hour train connection between Helsinki and St Petersburg. At least on the first trip we will not be voluntary.

0713Tue Moscow

Now we will celebrate the event that I got the book translated into English, 'bad English' of cours, but no harm. It will not be published on the paper, although it already is in internet in dialog form, as a discussion. We intended to raise toasts in honour of that. Failure, because we remember it only on the Red Square. Lev rushes to the GUM department store. I am afraid that he wil not find us any more. Long time he remains away, but finally reaches us waving with a bottle of brandy. No glases for this need, so wife first, the me, and finally Lev straight from the bottle. I forget the photo, so let us repeat. Astonishingly good thing. I would not boast with drinking pictures, but this is a special case. Previous time we toasted a couple of months ago at Skype, when I had completed the translation into English.

Moscow pictures

How embarrashing this black eye! A couple of days before departure I fell head along to the asphalt. Weak ankle: shoe tip touching the surface and there you are.
Even worse for the same reason has happened.
Click here for more pictures in the web-album.

I straighten myself for a moment on the master's bed while he goes shopping and makes a real delicacy: a cold Okroshka, a beer soup, which we tasted a year ago in a restaurant by name Yolka-Polka. Now immediately on having returned home I dig a recipee in the internet and make it and serve to my wife, who was not present in this gentlemen's party.

Long time we cannot rest, because we must leave for the ship. Now there is no point of taking a taxi, because metro is at least as fast and much cheaper. Almost an hour is needed for the trip from the Southern end of the line to the Northern. The metro is so noisy that we cannot discuss at all. If I manage to convince my host to travel to Finland, I must show the metro in Helsinki. There a word is heard. There is an astonishingly long 'fist taxi' way from the metro station to the actual boat station with the same name. No hurry, however, more than an hour still to the departure of the boat. Farewell. I feel pity for my host because of such a long way. His newest book remains in my sack as a memory and a neat jewelry box for my wife. Lev Evdokimovich gets a Russian copy of the book we are just finishing in our reading circle The Bonfire of Vanities by Tom Wolfe, one of the best books I have ever read. Lately I had to buy a new step meter, because the old one got lost (in a wrinkle of a seat). Then it was found and Lev gets now the new one, seems to be glad, because he is a keen sportsman.

Such was our Moscow episode, very pleasant and important for me, as I continuously already during many years have translated and applied to web the texts of my Moscow philosopher friend. No end is to be seen for that occupation.

20100713-19 Onboard

Time does in no case seem long. We have no previous experience of this kind of cruise, so there is no point of comparison other than beforehand expectations. So well organized and interesting I could not imagine the trip. We could as well speak of a boat seminar in stead of a cruise. But it is understandable that boat seminar of Slavic culture would perhaps not sell as well as 'The Czars' waterway'. The waterway with its tens of locks and lively boat traffic is an interesting thing. But at least as interesting is the spiritual nourishment offered to us. The same can be said of the physical nourriture. Both of the two latter clearly exceed what could be expected. In the excellent brochure, true, they say in a heading already: 'along with experts', but one could not take it so seriously.

The czars' waterway: lecture program 0714 Jyrki Härkönen: "From emperors to czars - the Russian rulers' power and honor". 0714 Ilmari Hakala: "Great building projects and channel systems in Russia". 0715 Ilmari and Leena Hakala: "Finnish war prisoners in Russia". 0716 Jyrki Härkönen: "Rules or culture? - monasters in Russia". 0717 Ilmari and Leena Hakala: "Finnougric population of Russia". 0717 arkkipiispa Leo: "Carelian language". 0718 Leena and Ilmari Hakala: "Finns in Russian litterature".

Every single lecture is well prepared and presented free, would as such be good for any University level Studia Generalia. All is presented twice to a full auditorium, because the large auditorium can take at a time only half of the trip guests. The same system in the restaurant: it works in two shifts, to which the crowd is divided according to the colour of the cabin card: yellow or red. Clear and effective division.

I have asked the lecturers to deliver short summaries of their lectures to be read through links in this text. Whether they remember? Do I dare to remind? Although I have 50 years occupied with Russian language and Russian culture, only a fragment of the contents of the lectures was familiar to me in advance.

Expecting the summaries here opens the text of the second page of our fine daily program, in which the itinerary is presented with valid historic references.

The czars' waterway: excursion program 0714 1630 Arrival of boat to Uglich, guided pedestrian sightseeing of the city, Kreml with its churches and working monastery of Resurrection (translation from English or Russian). City page (Russian). 0715 1000 Departure of boat to Yaroslavl city. Sightseeing of the city, acquaintance with the UNESCO world heritage, the Kreml of Yaroslavl and churches (translation from English or Russian), visits to Spasski (Redentor's) monastery and churc of the prophet Elia. 0716 0400 Arrival of boat to Cherepovets. 0600 Bus transport to the monument of Finnish war prisoners. Memorial celebration Finlandia, Lulu Tanhuanpää Speech, archbishop Leo Poem Leena Hakala Wreath laying Hymn" Oi Herra luoksein jää" Wreath laying at the monument of Russian soldiers "Maa on niin kaunis" Speech Ilmari Hakala Poem Leena Hakala Wreath laying 0800 Departure of boat to Cherepovets. 0716 1700 Arrival to Goricy. Bus trip to Kirillo-Belozersk monastery, where guided tour (translation from English or Russian) 1900 departure of boat from Goricy. 0717 2000 Arrival of boat to Kizhi island, guided tour. 2200 departure of boat to Svir. 0718 1400 Arrival of boat to Svir village. 1400 Prepaid bus excursion to Alexander the Svirian's monastery. 1700 departure of boat to Ladoga.

0714Wed Uglich

Here in Uglich we listen to heavenly orthodox church singing. It has become a really big enjoyment lately, if not in every orthodox church then at least in one during every visit round. In the orthodox church no organs or other music instruments are used, bare human voice. And in what kind of music! It competes with the best pieces of Father Bach. Once, however, have I seen a grand piano (or something like it) in an orthodox church. It did not become clear to me, what was its function.

Uglich photos

Click here for more photos in the web album

0715Thu Jaroslavl

Wikipedia presents Yaroslavl so: (250 kilometres from Moscow to Northeast. The city center, a world heritage of UNESCO, is situated at the union of Volga and Kotorosl rivers. In 2002 Yaroslavl was inhabited by 613 088 persons. There is the coat of arms of the city at the margin. It refers to its founder prince Yaroslavl, official name: Yaroslavl I Wise; the letter l at the end of the name makes the word a place name).

In Yaroslavl we are in daytime. Pictures are of two kinds.

Morning gymnastics

In the morning I hush to an every-morning gymnastics on the Sun deck. Because of my miserable ability to move (also bad equilibrium) I do not participate myself, although at home I do every morning a 15 minute program for the benefit of my back. Deciding of the pictures the whole pack is taking off or exercising the gourgeous dance of small swanes of the Swane lake by Chaikowsky, that which we so many times descended staircases with children and grandchildren.

The other part of the pictures comprises beautiful churches.

Yaroslavl churches

More churches and monastries in the web album.

Looking at these churches, inside and outside, one is naturally inclined to ask some questions: Did the atheistic rulers be afraid of God anyway? Or were they afraid of people? Or these both mighty? Because it is inimaginable that these countless churches could have been build to such beauty in these last 20 years? One has heard all kinds: churches as horse stables, storehouses, sports halls. I myself have as memory of my first visit to Moscow in 1970.

I carry with me a pack of punchcards, the data of my licentiate thesis, and ask the possibility to meet computer colleagues. Such a meeting is organized. In the morning I meet Sergey at the ground floor of a church tower. There is the computer center. The top of the tower with the cross had been wiped away and the tower stands there like an hollow tooth. (In Berlin there is or at least was a corresponding case. It was even called 'n hohlen Zahn'). Sergey takes my cards and we agree of a new meeting next morning. So it happens. Sergey has a card deck double thick of the original and double amount of holes and small pieces of wood in the card board (this is true!). In the other hand there is a huge paper with output on it. All the calculations of my licentiate thesis were there exactly the same to the last decimal and some unexpected extra calculations in addition. So begins our friendship continuing up to day.

Jaroslavl sightseeing

What is here the nightmare? The fact that the guide had learned by heart word by word in litterary form the text from a guidebook. What is bad here, if the book is good? This is perhaps difficult to understand for somebody who has not worked as a translator. In this situation the translation is almost impossible. Once I had an incident, where the lecturer read the lecture from a paper. In that case a free translation is impossible. If I had got the paper the day before, I could also have put it on the paper and then read likewise from the paper. But then the lecturer's reading would have been superfluous.

0716Fri Cherepovets

Cemeteery of Cherepovets Thanks for fine photos. I am missing pictures of the 5th day in Cherepovets. Early in the morning we arrived to the town of Cherepovets, where during the WW two one of the largest prisoner camps of the Soviet Union was situated. There were over thousand Finnish war prisoners. In the cemetery of the town there is a monument by Heikki Häiväoja for the camp number 158. I did not find these pictures, do they exist? I am sending some to your email. Helga Lappalainen Monument of the prison camp

In the evening we are taking a buss tour in Goritsy to the monastery of Kirill Belozersk (eng wiki).

This link gives a gorgeous picture of the place, but wasn'it just this monastery that was in the most modest condition? It is understandable, as there are so many buildings and so few inhabitants. Although the restauration of this kind of places does not lie on the shoulders of the mere inhabitants. How was it? Here they tell the story about the mutual contacts of the male and female monastries at a few kilometers distance from each other in a time before gsm. Messages were swend striking the church bells. What did they say? Pity that I already forgot. Could somebody send info in return? In our 'minute program' there is also a mentioning of another, Saint Ferapont monastry. Perhaps that was the nun monastery? This can easily be identified as the Kirill monastery, on the basis of the excellent picture.

Here in any case I had a clumsy fault. I get a rather angry remark about my too eager participation, when I my indiscretion 'help' the interpreter by saying my quick translations. Of my own experience there are solely pleasant memories, when a friend of mine,who knows Russian better than me, but was not so rapid in speaking as I was, helped me in corresponding situations. I was pleased of it, but I understand also the contrary attitude. I beg pardon, if the interpreter of my Belozersky group happens to read this.

It is clear of the map that we are about half way on Sheksna river, at a kind of watershed, because the previous lock brought us upwards 13 m and the next will bring us 16 m downwards. Thereafter there will be within short distances five other locks bringing us altogether 80 m down. We are not high, because the level of departure is 112 m and the destination level is 32 m above the sea level. The whole long route counts 20 locks, of which one, on our way to Yaroslavl is passed twice, to and fro, no, but there are two of them at a short distance from each other.

0717Sat Kizhi

Kizhi museum island is situated on Onega 65 km from Petrozavodsk. To the collection of the museum belong 70 monuments of the traditional carpentery. To the nucleus of the museum, Pogosta of Kizhi, belong the oldest in Russia church of Probrazhenye (Christ ascention) with its 22 cupolas (1714), church of Pokrova (1764) and bell tower (1874). The Kizhi Pogosta monuments and its architectural surroundings have been included in 1990 to the list of world heritage of Unesco. Kizhi has got its name according to the jubileum of Kizhi, even now celebrated in the premises of the museum. Kizhi island works as historical and etnographic museum. It also is one of the greatest tourist attractions of Carelian republic.

We have been here before on a rather colorful excursion, so I do not participate to the walking tour. So it happens that I meet another cautious walker and start discussion with her. We exchange email adresses and as a consequence now on this page there are some fine photos and a small story of Cherepovits. I would very much like to give space also to other suitable material of cotravelers.

The picture here I consider one of the best and in any case of the most important of those I make on this trip. In it all are posing a face telling about the success of the trip (click to really see it). The head of Leena I tried to bring right below the church in the background imagining that I could by color manipulation make of it a golden crown over her head as a token of gratefulness for so many beautifully presented poems on this trip. It turned out that my skill in picture manipulation were not sufficient. Remained in words the deeds this time.

From Kizhi I send, or actually Ilmari and Leena kindly deliver - thanks to them, to the mail my home-made 125 post cards to friends in Finland and all over the world. usually I send half of that number but this seems so special a trip that I decide to use 'wide distribution'. Lev Evdokimovich had already in Moscow bought the necessary stamps. Onboard I would have enough time to fix them. So it was. In the post office they only had made a mistake of delivering extra 10 pieces of 10 rouble stamps and 10 too few 1 rouble stamps. I have, however, already the information that the cards with deficient porto also arrived.

The very first acknowledgement was aan ample remuneration: from friend in France, with whom I had had no contact in many years. Invitation to visit them in Paris of StTropez. Straight after a similar with the same contents from Poland, also a contact already beleived broken. We will see whether the health condition allows to make these trips. Old pictures and a long message will go after finishing this report. And still a third message from an old professor colleague in Tartu, Estonia. There we could go even if not explicitly invited.

0718Sun Svir

On Svir (home in Nilsiä there is also Svir (Syväri), a lake (meaning of the word: deep) with 100 km land way trip around. Half way of the river now there is the village of Svir (Svirstroy, Свирстрой). There we stop in the afternoon. Part of our company leaves for an excursion, ordered and paid in advance, to the monastery of Alexander the Svirean. There also we have visited before (God gracious, already 8 years ago!), but still I am intending to participate. Then, however, the knee gives symptoms and I consider wiser to stay out. Fortunately the annulled and already paid ticket (comparatively expensive 38 €) is sold right away. There the white walls and golden cupolas are truly shining differently from what we just have seen in Kirillo-Belozerski monastery (eng wiki). Would somebody having done the visit have some pictures and a story of the Alexander the Svirean monastery to be linked here? I would be grateful.

During the time people are on the monastery excursion the ship is sailing to Lodeinoe pole. Its coat of arms presents a ship, but the port seems to be rather modest. Our ship is so long that it covers entirely the four part quai. I would remember that one of my father's photos from the war was taken in Lodeinoe pole, that is: bery far from the present border and even on the 'wrong side' of the past border of Finland, nearly 100 km from Kontupohja, where the frontier was befor the war on the Northern shore of Ladoga.

Now the boat trip is about done. We head to Ladoga and see shoreline. For dancing people there is, of course, still last chance for dancing on the waves of Ladoga. Supper is eaten with sparkling wine and a farewell party 'Kaik yhes' (All together) is celebrated.

0719ma Kotiin

So Neva goes sleeping. It is, althoug short, not an insignificant river, average depth, as far as I remember correct, 11 m. It brings sweet water to St Petersburg from the largest sweet water reservoir of Europe. I just learned that the only pulp mill above stream has been closed. So the pollution from the parsimoniously inhabited areas myst be like a fly shit in Sahara. The only place, however, where I have become stomach disease is just Leningrad almost 40 years ago. The reason is not the water of Neva, but the piping of the city, at that time partly old wooden pipes, as I was told, where there are favorable conditions for a wicked stomach germ. Beer made of the Neva water is topmost. That has been constated in many hot days. ... and also in the coolness of night: once on a boat tour Neva up and down in the company of merry students. They offered beer. Bottles are obligatorily thrown into Neva. There are they being washed in big heaps.

Neva not being seen. In the morning we arrive at St Petersburg river station and there into busses awaiting us and departing straight away back home in various parts of Finland. We do not see other participants of the trips except during a stop at Lappeenranta ABC, where for my part the only blunder of this trip happens, and it goes completely to the account of the ABC station. I order salmon. They say: it takes twenty minutes. I reckon: just in time not to miss the bus departure. Waiting, waiting, waiting ... finally less than 5 minutes to the departure of the bus. I bring my token back to the cashier and require my money back. Explanations and ... but I get my money back. A small fasting is only ok for this body.

Short before departure I am worried for the weak ankle of the left leg and a couple of days before departure I fall and hit my head direct to the asphalt. The consequences are seen in pictures taken in Moscow. Walking stick help ok in holding the man in equilibrium, which is the worst problem so that during the trip I do not fall at all, but the knee of the right leg starts giving symptoms. A small spot on the right side, but now already all over the knee. I scarcely can move in the room. It has been x-rayed. Nothing alarming. Should not time bring the cure?

Now when it should all be done...

In our table Natasha is serving. She is here summer working afteer having done the degrees in German and English languages. Not married, not even a bride. Hopefully not hurt, when reading this. Addresses are exchanged and pictures taken. I go particularly searching also the chief cook on the bottom of the ship where the kitchen is. I forget to ask the name, maybe I heard it, but forgot. Picture is taken in the staircase to the kitchen. She deserves the attention, so good are her delicacies.