I had a ticket, a ticket to ride aboard a deluxe, business class legroom motor coach, a hydrofoil and a bullet train as a guest photojournalist of Insight Vacations to experience its Easy Pace Russia journey.
This eight-day, premium-escorted itinerary took me to St. Petersburg, residence of the imperial tsars of old, and Moscow, the capital of Russia, where Red Square and the Kremlin dazzle the eyes.
In between this “tale of two cities” I attended a ballet; was entertained by a folkloric troupe of musicians, singers and dancers; cruised up and down canals; visited iconic palaces, churches and museums; and, spent several nights in one of the “Seven Sisters,” the post-World War II skyscrapers commissioned by Joseph Stalin to impress the West, that’s now a five-star hotel overlooking the Moscow River.
And, I did my fair share of savoring mouthwatering regional cuisines along the way from the kitchens of Georgia, Russia and the Ukraine.
You’re invited to join me as I re-trace my steps on Insight Vacations’ Easy Pace Russia journey and try and solve, in the words of Winston Churchill, this “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
Just click on one of the story links below and you’ll be whisked away to Mother Russia.
Do svidaniya!
©The Palladian Traveler
Note: The Palladian Traveler’s participation in this journey was supported by Insight Vacations, which did not review or approve any of these articles before publication.
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1. The Journey begins in St. Petersburg
4. Spilt Blood, Red Caviar and Peterhof
5. A Folksy Night in St. Petersburg
6. Inside the Hermitage Museum
7. A Winning Hand at Tsarskoe Selo
8. Cruising the Waterways of St. Petersburg
9. Craning My Neck at Swan Lake
10. The Beginning of the End at Yusupov Palace
11. Moscow by Night
12. Moscow’s Metro Stations are Underground Art Museums
13. Walking and chewing Gum in Red Square
14. A Glimpse inside The Kremlin
16. Cosmonauts, Churches and a VIP Cemetery
17. The Battle that inspired an Overture
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