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Waterways of ST. PEETERSBURGTERSBURG ◆ MOOSCOWSCOW CCruisingruising aboardaboard thethe Deluxe Volga Dream August 26 to September 6, 2018 Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends of Tufts, Tuft s-Gohagan & Company Experience the timeless pageantry and traditional folkways 2018 departures of Russia, revealed along the scenic rivers, lakes and canals For a full list of 2018 travel programs visit that link St. Petersburg with Moscow. Between these www.tuft stravellearn.org. cultural capitals lies a countryside seemingly untouched Alaska’s Glaciers and the Inside Passage by the modern age. Golden-domed churches rise from July 5 to 12, 2018 the early morning mist, wooden villages and farms dot Rivieras and Islands the landscape, and the light of lingering summer evenings France ◆ Italy ◆ Spain gives an otherworldly aura to the banks of Russia’s September 26 to October 4, 2018 inland waterways. Along with alumni from our like-minded partner Cruising Patagonia’s Chilean Fjords October 14 to 25, 2018 institutions on this departure, cruise aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe Volga Dream. The Volga Dream and its highly trained staff ensure you will enjoy an intimate atmosphere, personalized service and highly praised continental cuisine throughout your cruise. Explore the preeminent artistic, historical and architectural treasures of classical Russian culture and several “Golden Ring” cities. Visit splendid St. Petersburg—Russia’s “window on the West” and its cultural capital—the majestic legacy of the most visionary of tsars, Peter the Great. Then, cruise through the heart of Russia, where daily life unfolds at the measured pace it has kept for generations and where villagers still dwell in traditional wooden cottages and preserve the time-honored customs of their ancestors, while spectacular onion-domed churches and fortified monasteries testify to the abiding faith of the Russian people. Conclude with one night in the fabled city of Moscow, the political and commercial capital of the world’s largest country. This unique travel program features the best ship in Russia and a thoughtfully crafted, comprehensive itinerary with opportunities to experience nine UNESCO World Heritage sites. This popular program is a great value and is sure to sell out quickly, so reserve your space today while Early Booking Savings are still available! To make a reservation, call our Tufts representative at Gohagan & Company at 1-800-922-3088. Cheers! Mary Ann Hunt Associate Director, Tufts Travel-Learn Program Email: [email protected] Online: tuftstravellearn.org P.S. We are confident this offering will resonate well with our travelers. As the registration grows, we will confirm a Tufts faculty host to join you to add to the overall learning experience and bring a uniquely Tufts perspective. Please check our website often for additions and updates. U.S. Sunday, August 26 Depart the U.S. St. Petersburg, Russia Monday, August 27 Arrive in regal St. Petersburg, Peter the Great’s elegant urban achievement and Russia’s cultural capital, and transfer to the centrally located, Five-Star Kempinski Hotel Moika 22. This evening, attend the Welcome Reception in the hotel. St. Petersburg Tuesday, August 28 The reconstructed Amber Room was completed in 2003. Explore the city’s historic center, a UNESCO St. Petersburg World Heritage site where legendary Wednesday, August 29 landmarks are scattered across more than This morning, by specially reserved 100 islands and linked by three times early entrance, return to the as many bridges. St. Petersburg’s main UNESCO World Heritage-designated thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospekt, showcases State Hermitage Museum, the former tsarist exquisite examples of Russian Baroque and palace of Catherine the Great to further tour neoclassical architecture. See the ornate this repository of one of the world’s oldest and Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood most important art collections, rivaled only by (Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ), the museum’s lavish interior. built on the site of Emperor Alexander II’s Later, visit the imperial compound of assassination; see the iconic golden spire Pushkin and Rococo Catherine Palace, of the Admiralty; and visit 19th-century an elaborate UNESCO World Heritage site. St. Isaac’s Cathedral to admire its dazzling See the extraordinary Amber Room, laden with interior of malachite and lapis lazuli. six tons of solid amber, deftly carved and framed The church’s golden dome is one of the glories in gold leaf and said to be the “Eighth of the city’s skyline. Tour St. Petersburg’s oldest Wonder of the World.” Stripped and edifice, the Peter and Paul Fortress, built in confiscated by the Nazis in 1941, it was 1703 to guard the country’s only outlet to the meticulously reconstructed over 25 years Baltic Sea. to honor of the 300th anniversary of the This afternoon, visit the new halls city of St. Petersburg. of the State Hermitage Museum’s This evening, you may choose to General Staff Building to view the priceless attend an optional Russian folklore collection of 19th- and 20th-century performance in Nicholas Palace French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist (schedule to be determined). works, including 74 masterpieces “lost” in a storeroom during World War II. St. Petersburg This evening, you may choose to attend Thursday, August 30 an optional Russian ballet performance This morning, visit the UNESCO (schedule to be determined). World Heritage site of Peterhof Palace and Gardens, also known Cover photo: Stroll along the majestic Grand Cascade at Petrodvorets, a UNESCO World Heritage site oft en referred to as the “Russian Versailles.” Photo this page: One of the most recognized symbols of Moscow, the colorful domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral scintillate over iconic Red Square. FINLAND Kizhi Island Lake Svirstroy Onega Lake Ladoga iver St. Petersburg R Lake Beloye ir v V f Finland er S o lf o Neva Riv l Goritsy Gu g C a Sheksna River a - n B a a Lake l lt ic Rybinskoye Yaroslavl a Riv RUSSIA olg er V M Uglich o UNESCO s c World Heritage Site o al w Cruise Itinerary Moscow Can R Air Routing i v Moscow e r The ornate Church of Our Savior on Spille as Petrodvorets, the grand summer palace and Tour this remarkable open-air museum, splendid parklands commissioned by a treasure trove of 18th-century Karelian and Peter the Great to rival Versailles. north Russian wooden architecture. Embark the deluxe, small ship Admire the Church of the Transfiguration, Volga Dream this afternoon and attend an architectural masterpiece featuring the Captain’s Welcome Reception as the ship 22 cupolas built completely of wood without departs St. Petersburg. a single nail. Enjoy an afternoon cruise on Neva River/Lake Ladoga/ scenic Lake Onega, dotted with over Svir River/Svirstroy 1600 small islands, in view of the beautifully Friday, August 31 untouched, pastoral Karelian countryside, Admire the passing wilderness of serene home to both ethnic Finns and Russians. meadows, virgin pine and birch forests lining the banks of the mighty Neva River and Lake Beloye/Goritsy/ the shores of Lake Ladoga, the largest lake Sheksna River in Europe. This afternoon, the ship calls at Sunday, September 2 Svirstroy, a charming riverside village evoking Along the shores of Lake Beloye, the peaceful, traditional ways of rural life. See the admire rural communities continuing the historic Lodeynoe Pole, where Peter the Great long-standing traditions of Old Russia. established the Olonets Shipyard, birthplace of From the tranquil village of Goritsy, visit the the Baltic Fleet. Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, founded in Visit the home of a local villager and enjoy 1397, and see its collection of paintings, tea and Russian cakes before continuing early printed books and pictorial embroidery. along the sparkling Svir River between It is said that Vasily III came here to pray for an Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. heir, and soon after, his wife Elena gave birth to the future Ivan the Terrible, the first tsar Lake Onega/Kizhi Island of Russia. Saturday, September 1 Further along the Sheksna River, catch Early this morning, be on deck for the glimpses of a bygone era as you pass by rustic unforgettable approach to picturesque family farms and quaint dachas, traditional Kizhi Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Russian wooden cottages. The beautiful 16th-century Goritsy Monastery was founded by a daughter-in-law of Ivan the Terrible. ed Blood. Artwork in the impressive UNESCO World Heritage-designated State Hermitage Museum. This evening, enjoy a dinner of Russian site where Ivan the Terrible’s young son met delicacies followed by a specially arranged his tragic demise. Admire its cluster of red sampling of Russian vodkas. turrets capped with shimmering blue onion domes and the elegant frescoes that adorn Lake Rybinskoye/ the interior. Continue on to see the stately Volga River/Yaroslavl five-domed Cathedral of the Transfiguration, Monday, September 3 built along the Volga River in 1713. Cruise Lake Rybinskoye, surrounded by This afternoon, cruise the great Volga River, scenic wilderness. Dock in Yaroslavl, the oldest the main artery of the Russian heartland for city on the Volga River and one of the over a millennium, and into the Moscow Canal, “Golden Ring” of fortified 11th- to 15th-century which provides Moscow access to the White, cities and villages built to encircle Moscow. Baltic, Caspian, Azov and Black Seas. This UNESCO World Heritage site, known Attend the Captain’s Farewell Reception as the “Florence of Russia,” is renowned for on board the ship this evening. its 17th-century stone churches crowned with painted onion domes and soaring turrets. Moscow Wednesday, September 5 Arrive in Russia’s illustrious capital city, which has embodied the heart and soul of the country for over 850 years. Disembark the ship and enjoy a panoramic tour of Moscow featuring the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer, the monument of Peter the Great, the renowned Bolshoi Theatre and expansive views of the city from University Square.