Here's a wonderful article and photos that will make your visit to Plyos come alive.
https://www.rbth.com/travel/destinations/ring/2017/06/28/a-journey-to-plyos-how-to-fall-in-love-with-this-provincial-russian-town_791237 We've visited Plyos many times and it is a charming stop along our way that has remained one of our favorites. There's a path up a hill for those who enjoy a view and there are a few shops in town that might possibly be open when we arrive - no guarantees. Ask your counselor to introduce you to some towns people, take a paddle boat out on the Volga, or sit and enjoy the history of this quaint village. If we're lucky the art museum will be open and we can see some of Levitan's work. Check out the day-by-day itinerary and see when we will be visiting - you may be surprised by the charm. Contributed by Elizabeth Stoddard
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By Mark J. Stoddard, Co-Founder, Heart of Russia Cruises
Bits and Bizarre Pieces of Russian History, Culture & Geography PART I of 4 1. According to legend, the large dish in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral off Red Square was used for: a. Mass baptisms b. Mass executions c. Both. According to various guides contradicting each other, the answer is Both. Welcome to legends of the tsars. 2. In 1991, when the USSR finally collapsed under its own weight, injection needles were cleaned with an autoclave; disposable needles were unknown. 3. Also, in 1991, President Boris Yeltsin’s office in the Russian White House, had a 3’x3’ table to the left of his desk. On it were 18 rotary dial phones, each a different color. That was his switchboard. (I saw it.) 4. When Boris Gudonov’s plan to execute Prince Dmitry, son of Ivan the Terrible, was carried out…although by Boris’s account the young man slit his own throat while having an epileptic seizure…the cleric in Uglich rang the large bell to warn everyone. In retaliation, Gudonov cut off the “ears” of the bell. (The “ears” hold the bell to the pulley system that makes it go back and forth.) 5. At the wedding of Nicolas and Alexandra, many people died trying to get to the buffet table. 6. Catherine the Great, born and raised in Germany, rarely, if ever, spoke Russian because her Russian had a deep German accent. French was the language of the court. 7. When Lenin’s communist party took over the government, one of their first acts was to “nationalize” all of the churches, then burn all of the Bibles they could find, melt the bells to make cannons, and use many churches as grain storage facilities. 8. When Nicolas and Alexandra and their 7 children were rounded up in the basement and shot, many bullets were deflected upon hitting the jewels they had secreted below their clothing. At least one version of their execution. But...did Anastasia really die? 9. The song, “Lara’s Song” made famous by the movie Dr. Zhivago, is NOT a popular folk song in Russia. It was written for the movie yet is very popular for balalaika performers today. 10. The virgin forests of Russia would cover the United States of America at least once. 11. During the Soviet era, Russia had a severe paper shortage. Bucket lists are all about finding the perfect or unique adventure to experience before, well, you know, you kick the bucket. Morbid. But it certainly resonates with most people.
Before Elizabeth and I were invited by the Minister of Higher Education of the USSR to come to the Soviet Union to teach free market and business classes to their leading industrialists, going to Russia was never a consideration. After all, they were the Evil Empire and in my mind I could only picture Russia in black and white. Dull. Cold. Stern. Uninviting. After that first adventure in 1990 and a subsequent lecture tour that my brother Eric joined me on, teaching free market principles to President Boris Yeltsin's cabinet, the Supreme Soviets of BeloRussia and Ukraine, the president of Moldova, and 17 city councils and a host of other full day lectures, my image of Russia and Russians was forever changed. Elizabeth and I have now been to Russia more than 50 times and taken all five of our children to stay weeks and months at a time. So when people tell me they have no desire to visit Russia, I try to assure them that their decision is correct and give them these 7 Reason Why Russia should NOT Be on Your Bucket List. 1. Too many Russians want to meet Americans. Solitude is tough. 2. A headache may ensue from having seen the largest most ornate palaces in the world set in millions of acres of huge forests, lakes and rivers. 3. Yes, 900 miles on rivers and lakes – yeah, there are rolling banks and forest and little villages here and there, yada yada, but how many trees and acres of farmland and inside of villager’s home and tea parties that suddenly spring up…can one stand to see. 4. Where are the giant cruise ships!!? Only river yachts holding 200 – and 40 of them are those pesky Russians wanting to meet Americans. A ship that size doesn’t have the joy of waiting to get off the ship in port as thousands go ahead of you. No waiting time to get into your book. 5. When’s a body to sleep! The Bolshoi Theatre is closed in summer so you are stuck with those singers on the ship every night. Bring ear plugs. 6. Not a single McDonald’s Happy Meal anywhere on our ship. You’ll starve, except for all the chicken, duck, beef, vegetable Siberian, Russian Far East, Ukrainian and Russian dishes. Too many deserts too. Too much to choose from. 7. Talk about not leaving you alone. You’re stuck with a highly educated Russian who speaks English better than you, who only helps your group of 12 to 14. Trying to stump them is so impossible it’s no longer fun trying. Svetlana Golovonaby Mark J. Stoddard
Everything we do is to help you discover the heart of Russia. Grand buildings are not enough. Cameras capture those nicely. But discovering the lives of Olga, Katya, Irena, Boris, Sergei, and Sasha creates friendships that erase all boundaries. We do that by having highly trained, fluent-in-English counselor guides for your small group of just ten other visitors. We also have invited Russian couples anxious to meet Americans to sail with us. We’re the only river cruisers to create people-to-people experiences with our small group tours. Plus, our entertainment and cultural programs were voted “#1 Tour In the World” by world travelers who experienced our tours. As the first American cruise company to be authorized by the Soviet government in 1991, we immediately found the best ways to allow Americans to be enthralled and overjoyed by their experience on our river cruises. We’ve taken tens of thousands to Russia on hundreds of cruises from Moscow north to St. Petersburg, down the Volga, in Siberia and Ukraine. Won’t you join us this year by adding your name to the Waitlist? Come be enthralled by the Heart of Russia Cruises. See not only the overpowering architecture, entertainment, and pastoral sites, but the Heart of Russia too. Is Russian Lore Right About Jesus Visiting Russia? by Mark J. Stoddard It was in front of me and I could only stare and mumble, “Thank you.” Hardly the grateful gesture I wanted to give to the Russian Orthodox priest proudly standing before after he’d given me his gift. In May, 1992 this rather large Russian Orthodox priest gave me that gift of a phonograph record commemorating the 1,000th year of baptism in Russia. But I couldn’t take my eyes off of the cover of the phonograph record he had given me as a token of his respect to me for my lecture on free agency and enterprise. The Berlin Wall had fallen, Gorbachev had instituted a radical restructuring (perestroika) and openness (glasnost). As part of this awakening in the USSR I had been invited by the recently retired Deputy Minister of Higher Education to speak some of the leading new businessmen and women in Moscow, Russia. To hold that phonograph record and see the painting on the front left me speechless. “Who painted this,” I asked him. “A great painter for our church about 1900; Mikhail Nestorov who painted so much canvases of faith,” he smiled so broadly as our translator proclaimed the history. “His Holy Rus is a favorite of all of us and it hangs today in the Russian Gallery in Leningrad.” “What does it depict?” “Our Savior visiting ancient Russia or Rus.” The translator didn’t wait for the priest to provide the history and further said, “We all know this story.” I asked our translator quietly, "Tell me, Igor, where you heard about this but first, please ask him where this story came from.” Igor wanted to tell me, but obliged and asked the priest. They let me know Nesterov based his painting upon an ancient Russian folk tale about how Jesus came to visit the Russian people after his resurrection. “Who are the haloed visitors behind him?” The priest smiled and through Igor said, “Nestorov was no fool. He placed the three leaders of the Church of his day in the painting standing in for Peter, James and John.” By now I had let the import of the painting settle in and looked up and shook my head in assent. Then we embraced and said we hoped to meet again. "You teach me much and I wish to show gratitude." I thanked him more profusely now. Later in 1992 I was invited to have lunch with a person they called the Metropole Peterim, the highest authority of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow, and chairman of the ruling council of the entire church. This gentleman is similar to president of the quorum of 12 apostles in the LDS church. (I’m told by some that I didn’t get the right title, but, it’s what I heard and it matters little if I wrote it right because whatever came out of my mouth when I tried to say “Metropole Peterim” pleased him.) After the lunch and tour of his headquarters, I asked him if he knew of a painting where Christ seemed to be appearing to the ancient Slavic people. He said that he did, that it had been used for a special phonograph record cover and that the original was in their private archives. I asked him where the artist got the idea of such a scene. He replied solemnly that it was “inspired by an ancient folk tale that said after Christ's death he visited the Slavic people, ancestors of the Russians, to bring his gospel. The people who listened to Christ were the humble and lowly in the farms and countryside. They took upon themselves his name which when written phonetically in our characters rather than Cyrillic is Kristiany. The word for peasant in Russian is Kristiany. Those who believed in Him took upon themselves His name.” I asked the Metropole if he believed that Christ actually came to the lands of present day Russia and Ukraine. He nodded, stroking his beard. "It could very well have been. But perhaps the more likely truth is that the apostle Andrew came through what is today's Russia on his final mission. But, it could have been exactly as the painting shows." I then asked him, "Who would the three apostles have been?" "In all likelihood, Peter, James and John, though one may have been Andrew." "Then you have no trouble," I pushed, "with the concept that Christ may have visited other people on the earth after his resurrection?" He smiled and looked up at me, his eyes dancing with a twinkle. "No. No trouble as you say. It probably happened." I've spoken to other orthodox priests who recount the same story. Since then I have been in contact with the gentleman who is the Metropole's assistant and secretary and have received permission to reproduce the painting. He said they are happy to give permission since the painting has little value to them since the artist is now in disfavor with the Russian Orthodox Church. They say he had strange ideas. But, they liked him enough to feature this painting on the cover of their phonograph record celebrating 1,000 years of baptism in Russia. It all makes one think of Christ's words as told in John 10 -- "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring. And there shall be one fold and one shepherd." ### If you would like a FREE higher resolution picture, just email us at HeartOfRussiaCruises@gmail.com |