| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 19/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 50 |
| Copyright: Other |
operator view: russia
st petersburgGordon Burnett, managing director, Interchange
“St Petersburg is a beautiful city – the Venice of the north – built on islands all connected by bridges and canals.
“It has lots of wonderful palaces and a cathedral but my personal favourite is the Hermitage Museum. For me that place alone makes any trip to the city worthwhile.
“I first went there in the 1970s and I go back every time I am in St Petersburg. The building was the former winter palace of the Russian Tsars – it is the one the revolutionaries stormed to finally overcome the Russian monarchy, and it is simply out of this world.
“It is really four palaces in one and you can walk through it day after day without seeing the same thing twice. There are many things left from the days of the Tsar – the 15,000 dresses of Empress Elizabeth, and many of the lavish furnishings of the time.
“There are also art collections featuring all the major names of the art world. There is a huge ancient Egyptian collection of china, coins and a vast array of statues.
“It is quite incredible and you can have a personal guide to show you round and put the pieces in context for you. I am no great culture vulture but I know what I like and I just love this place.”
buryatia
Ceri Fairclough, tours manager, Regent Holidays
“Buryatia is the region of Russia you travel to on the Trans-Siberian railway and it is a place that completely defies all the images you have of Siberia.
“People think of Siberia as cold, grey and unwelcoming. They think it will be boring but in fact it is absolutely fascinating and a real experience.
“Lake Baikal is a great place to stop off – it is the deepest lake in the world and it is as far from one side of it to the other as it is from St Petersburg to Moscow.
“It is incredibly clear and some people get vertigo swimming in it because they can see down such a long way down. The area is warm in the summer and you can take walks through the forest but in winter the lake freezes over and you can drive a car across it.
“There is a small village on the edge of the lake called Listvyanka where you can stay in carved wooden houses with walls as thick as tree trunks.
“I like to combine this with time in the city of Irkutsk, an hour away. This is a lovely city with a lot of history. It is the place the Tsars sent any nobles they fell out with and, because wealthy people have lived there, it has an active cultural life.
“The people who live in this region are the Buryats who are quite different from other Russians – they look like the Mongolians but have a fascinating history of their own.”
suzdal
Picture: Pictures Colour Library
Des McGuinness, managing director, Intourist
“My favourite destination in Russia is Suzdal. It is about 3hrs drive out of Moscow and it is one of the old, medieval towns of Russia.
“I visited Suzdal in March and I stayed at the Pokrovsky Monastery – which is a convent run by nuns and their Mother Superior. It was snowing when I arrived and I felt like I was walking onto the set of Dr Zhivago.
“The town is a mass of medieval towers, turrets and spires and at the monastery you can stay in wooden chalets, formerly used by the nuns and renovated for use by tourists.
“This is a great place to base yourself if you want to explore the golden ring of medieval Russian towns – Suzdal, Vladimir and Kostroma – which are really too far away from Moscow to visit easily in one day. These towns are all very well preserved and they are surrounded by beautiful scenery in what is predominantly an agricultural area.
“Until recently it has been quite hard to organise holidays in this area because there has not been much accommodation there but now facilities are improving and it is becoming a popular getaway for those living in Moscow. We expect to feature it more in coming years.”
St Petersburg: Winter Palace Hermitage
Suzdal: one of Russia’s medieval towns
On track: the Trans-Siberia railroad