Viking Pakhomov - Viking River Cruises

Vessel: Viking Pakhomov

Cruise line:Viking River Cruises

Star rating: not yet rated

Tonnage: 3870 GRT

Max passenger capacity: 210

Description:There are 103 cabins across five decks and four different categories of cabin. Two restaurants, Neva and Svir, serve the same food. The Panorama bar is great for pre-dinner drinks while the Sky bar is the venue for lectures and events. There is also a library, sauna, hair salon and sun deck.

The 2006 season for the Waterways of the Tsars starts on May 7 from St Petersburg (10 nights). Fares start from $2776 per person twin share. The first cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg is May 17. This 11-night cruise starts from $3193 per person twin share

All meals, shore excursions and port charges are included, which makes it good value if you consider the equivalent charges of a land-based itinerary. Cruising from Moscow is ideal because the most spectacular sights are last. The final cruise of the season is October 14.

To get there: Fly Finnair to Helsinki via Bangkok and then onto Moscow or St Petersburg. Return fares start from $1745 (low season) for economy, plus taxes of about $450. Finnair is a Oneworld partner with Qantas, British Airways or Cathay Pacific. Instead of Bangkok you could chose to travel via Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing or other major airports.

For further information contact your travel agent and visit www.russiabeyond.com.au. Tel: (02) 9299 5799 or toll free on 1300 363 554.

Viking Pakhomov

Enter the fascinating world of the Tsars as you cruise the rivers and lakes of Russia.

We stood gawping at Catherine the Great's carriage which was covered with gold leaf.

"Surely they're not real diamonds studding the door!" muttered one of our party.

"Yep they are," replied another.

"No wonder there was a revolution," quipped a third. We shook our heads in disbelief and shuffled along to the next attraction in the Armoury museum in the Kremlin. We had already seen many treasures from the Romanov dynasty: Catherine's gowns embroidered with gold thread and encrusted with pearls; a gold crown so heavy with gems it must have given the Tsar a headache; thrones studded with precious stones and jewellery so extravagant it rendered us silent.

This was Moscow, day two of Viking River Cruises' 12-day Waterways of the Tsars cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg. On day one we enjoyed a bus tour of Moscow passing by the Bolshoy Theatre and KGB headquarters, a ride on the famously ornate Metro rail system and free time at Red Square. The minute we entered the Kremlin, however, we knew that first day had just been a warm-up.

'Kremlin means fortress, and within the walls are several buildings including the offices of the president, three cathedrals and the Armoury, which houses the Romanov treasures collected over the decades by the Russian State.

Here our journey into Russian history really began. And that's the essence of this cruise. It's a 'sampler' of Russia - an evening of folk music, a night at the ballet, two cities and a village or two, churches, cathedrals, a monastery and a couple of museums. In Moscow we only had a few hours in the Kremlin and then it was back to Viking Pakhomov and we were off to the next stop.

They say that river cruising is about the destinations rather than the journey and lectures on board allowed us to fully appreciate the destinations. The cruise centres on the palaces and cathedrals that were built by, or played key roles in the rise and the fall of, the Romanov Dynasty. In four talks, Russian history lecturer Dr Inna Gritsenko put what we were seeing into context.

After Moscow we cruised the Volga River and stopped at the town of Uglich, which also features a Kremlin. Founded in 1148, Uglich played an important part in Russian history. Ivan the Terrible used it as his base when he defeated the Tartars in the 1500s. Under Ivan, Russia became a unified state. But Ivan didn't get named 'the Terrible' without reason. He conducted horrific campaigns against the nobility. In 1581 in a rage Ivan struck his son and heir and killed him. Ivan had two other sons. The second born, Fyodor, succeeded him but Fyodor was a weak ruler. In a bid for power Fyodor's brother-in-law had Ivan's third son Dmitri murdered in Uglich. On the spot where the murder took place now stands the beautiful Church of St Demetrius on the Blood. It was the demise of Ivan's sons that lead to political instability and the rise of the Romanovs who ruled Russia until the revolution 304 years later. But enough history, what about the shopping?

Uglich was our first stop for serious souvenir hunting. Chilly winds and light rain did nothing to deter us or the vendors. Uglich specialises in ornate watches but there were also amber, linen, scarves, fur hats, lacquered boxes and the ubiquitous Matreshka dolls. After Moscow, Uglich felt provincial. But good provincial, as if we could be spending an hour or two in a real slice of Russia. It is also definitely the home of the best hot chocolate in the world. I can't tell you the name of the venue because the Cyrillic alphabet rendered every sign meaningless, but take a turn off the main street and look for a faded green wooden building that looks similar to a neighbourhood bar, which it probably is. Inside you'll find pool tables, several unusually beautiful young women (yes, we wondered about that too) and hot chocolate so rich that your teaspoon stands up in it. Heaven! We returned to the ship and set ourselves up in the Panorama bar. Aperitifs in hand, we watched the forests, glorious in their autumn hues, glide by. The land beyond the Volga is flat and vast. How very Russian, we thought, as shafts of late afternoon sun pierced the brooding sky.

The next morning we awoke to find that fog had delayed us six hours. It meant we missed Yaroslavl, one of Russia's oldest cities, but I was only momentarily disappointed and snuggled under the quilt to contemplate a day of cruising.

Standard cabins are small and basic. Bunks drop down from the wall with a table set between them. There is plenty of storage - two women with two huge suitcases managed to unpack with ease. The bathroom is also deceptive. It looks too small for comfort but it isn't, although a large man might find it a struggle. He would probably prefer the next level up where the bed and bathroom is bigger and there is room for a sofa.

Although the cabins are small, the ship never felt crowded. Two dining rooms, two bars and a library meant that there was always a comfortable seat to be found. Meals were of good standard, remembering that the food is pitched at an American palate. The breakfast smorgasbord offered the usual range, plus freshly baked Russian breads and superb smoked salmon and cream cheese. Eggs, omelettes and pancakes are cooked on request and delivered to your table. Lunch and dinner were three courses with choices offered. Several meals showcased Russian cuisine.Onboard activities also pointed to the delights of Russian culture - a vodka tasting had us sculling more shots than we needed, caviar tasting gave us an appreciation of the differences between Beluga, Osetra and Servuga, and Russian tea time explained the samovar and allowed for a sampling of local pastries.

After a visit to the typical village of Goritzy we understood why the samovar holds a special place in the Russian home. Our guide explained that in winter snow lies metres deep, and it was easy to imagine the family clustered around a fire and the samovar in their two-room house.

Near Goritzy is the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, which was founded in 1397. Today it houses a collection of icons valued at millions of dollars. However, the highlight was our visit to Kizhi Island in the northern part of Lake Onega. The island is home to the Church of the Transfiguration. This wooden structure was built in 1764. It features 22 domes and not a single nail was used. The church and other traditionally built wooden houses and windmills on Kizhi have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

From Kizhi we cruised across Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga, along the Svir River to St Petersburg and back into the world of the Romonovs. The city was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as his 'window to the west'. Architects came from all over Europe and the result is a city crammed with magnificent buildings. Perhaps none more so than the State Hermitage Museum, which includes the Winter Palace. The Hermitage is home to three million artworks, including paintings by Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, Gaugin and Picasso.

The monument to the extreme wealth of the Tsars, however, has to be the summer residence created near the village of Pushkin, now a dormitory suburb of St Petersburg. Central to the 600 hectares of palaces, monuments and gardens is Catherine's summer palace. It contains room after breathtaking room, culminating in a copy of the famous Amber room. The original was plundered by the Germans during the siege of Leningrad in World War Two. The copy was reopened in 2003 at a cost of US$12 million!

Catherine's palace was a fitting end to the cruise - such beauty, such wealth, such splendour. However, there were a few problems. Hot showers weren't always a given and perhaps it was the end of the season or maybe it's the Russian way, but service seemed to be lacking. For example, one passenger had to volunteer to walk to the other bar to get some ice.

On reflection it's hardly surprising that service doesn't come naturally. The Russian temperament seems better suited to that of a soldier, poet, artist, dancer and guide. Yes guide. Every guide we met wanted western tourists to understand that Russia lost 33 million people during World War Two. They also want tourists to know that Russians love their poets, writers and artists and they're still coming to terms with their turbulent past. Their country faces perilous times as it recreates itself.

As Russian history lecturer Inna pointed out, a lot is being asked of the Russian people. They have had to let go of their superpower status, watch the Soviet Union crumble, and they are still battling their innate urge to handover power to another 'Tsar'. It was fascinating. Now when I hear a Russian accent or Russian music my ears prick up. I am captivated - so much majesty, so much tragedy and so much more Russia to see.

Written by Toni Eatts - 23 Autumn 2006