Quite likely, you burn with curiosity about
I offer the following possibilities:
For an example of my cultural programs, see below:
This program has been organized in such a way, that people can choose to
participate in one, two, or three weeks of this program. People can also choose
to participate in only the second, or the third week, or both, or they can
choose a few days. Also combinations of days from weeks 1, 2 and 3 are possible
on demand
Arrival, meeting at the airport. Transport to
accommodation, making acquaintance with family and flat, welcome dinner.
Morning: visit to the Hermitage, Rastrelli's baroque
imperial winter-palace, now one of the world's foremost art museums.
Afternoon: Visit to artists in
Evening: concert/theater
Whole day: Excursion to the nearby town of
For this excursion a car with chauffeur can be hired at an extra cost of
$20-$30. It is also possible to go there, at much less cost, by public
transport, but this takes much more time (but may be quite interesting!).
Evening: free.
Morning: Free
Afternoon: excursion to the baroque Lavra of St. Alexander Nevskii, one of the
foremost monasteries in
Evening: free.
Morning: visit to the decaying imperial
You can rent a cab for this excursion (an extra cost of $20) or use public
transport.
Afternoon: free.
Evening: free.
Morning: Visit to Russian Museum ,with Russian
painting from medieval ikons to Russian Avant-garde and Socialism-realism.
Evening: concert/theater
Morning and Afternoon: Visits to typical Russian versions
of baroque and eclecticism: the Smol'nyj convent and cathedral, and the church
of the Saviour on the Blood.
Evening: good-bye party.
Departure, seeing off at the airport.
For those staying for a second week descriptions of some interesting and
unusual independent excursions will be available for day 8 (e. g. to the
Petrokrepost', a castle on the shore of Lake Ladoga. You can rent a car with
chauffeur for this excursion (ca $25) or use public transport.
Morning: visit to the starting point of modern Russia: the history
museum of Saint-Petersburg in the Peter and Paul fortress, and to the Cathedral
of St. Peter and St. Paul.
Afternoon: visit to Pusjkin's apartment and museum.
Evening: free, or reading poetry about St Petersburg in English translation
(Pusjkin, Achmatova, Mandel'sjtam).
Morning and afternoon: visit to the nearby town of Pavlovsk with its
neoclassical imperial palace and its vastromantic park in English landscape style.
This about 600 hectares large park is strewn with statues, pavilions,
summer-houses, bridges and other structures. Picnic in the park, reading poems
of Russian authors about palaces and parks in English translation (Pusjkin,
Achmatova, a.o.).
Evening: free.
Morning/afternoon: Visit to the apartment-musem of Dostojevskij,
Rasputin's apartment, and the area where Dostojevskij situated his "Crime
and punishment". Advice: read this novel (once more) before departure!
Evening: concert/theater.
Morning: free.
Afternoon: Tour of Arts-Galleries to see contemporary Russian art, or visit to
Russian authors.
Evening: concert/ theater.
Morning and Afternoon: Excursion to park and Tsar' Pavel's beautiful,
severely classicistic palace at Gattsjina; visit of the small museum
"Pusjkin's mail-coach inn" and to Nabokov's paradise lost: the manor
house of the Nabokov family with the famous birch alley. There: reading of
poems by Nabokov and Achmatova (in English). Transport by car, cost ca $35.
Evening: free.
Morning: visit to the Museum-apartment of Anna Achmatova.
Afternoon: free, or visit to museum of the Russian Academy of Art, or a Russian
Orthodox church service to hear church music.
Evening: good-bye party (for those who leave tomorrow).
Departure of two week participants. Arrival of new participants (see day
1).
For those staying for the following week descriptions of some interesting and
unusual independent excursions will be available for day 15 (e.g. to the
medieval town Viborg). Cost appr. $35, by car with chauffeur.
Morning: Visit to Petrodvorets, the dazzling baroque summer palace of
the Tsars in the near vicinity of St Petersburg. Transport by boat or train
(cost $......for the boat, $..... for the train).
Evening: concert/theater
Morning and afternoon: Excursion to the medieval castles of Koporie and
Ivangorod. Ivangorod is situated on the bank of river Narva, opposite to a German
castle on the other river bank. Cost of transport by private car with
chauffeur: $........
Evening: free.
Morning and afternoon: Excursion to palaces and park of Oranienbaum at
Lomonosov, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. The palace and garden are
connected by a system of terraces and staircases. Due to its original
composition, rich architectural forms and a variety of interiors the rococo
great palace was one of the most imposing of all seaside palaces of the petrine
epoch.. The complex consists of various palaces in diverse stiles, varying from
Dutch renaissance to rococo to classicistic, some with pseudo-Chinese
interiors. Transport by private car with chauffeur ($ 30.-) or public transport
(cost ca $......).
Evening: free.
Two days excursion to Novgorod, one of the oldest towns of Russia, 190
km south of St Petersburg. Visit to the Kreml' with its medieval fortifications
and the early medieval cathedral of Sophija (Aja Sophia, Holy wisdom); visit of
part of the numerous medieval churches, some with fresco's (Feofan Grek!);
visit to the medieval monastery of Jurjev on the outskirts of Novgorod, with
its surrounding walls and early medieval cathedral of St George. One overnight
stay in a hotel (cost $.....), transport by public bus (return ticket ca
$......).
OR
Whole day: excursion to Staraia Ladoga, residence of Russia's mythical
first 9-th century grand-duke Rurik, of Viking provenance. The oldest town of
Russia. Also visit of the Alexandro-Svirskii monastery, with its romantic
scenery of towers, walls, and spires.
Evening: free.
Morning: Walk along the banks of the River Neva, with an exhibit of
diverse architecture from the era of Peter the Great onwards. For instance,
Dutch renaissance (palace of Mensjikov, Peter the Great's summer palace),
Russian baroque (Hermitage, or summer palace), neoclassical (St Isaac's
cathedral).
Afternoon: free.
Evening: good-bye party.
Departure, seeing off at the airport.
Planned theater performances are only tentative, and depend on the time
of the year and the available program (mostly it is possible to choose among
several tens of performances).