A BALTIC EXPERIENCE: The History, Music & Art of Tallinn, St Petersburg & Riga
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22nd May - 1st June 2008
with John Moor |
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COST: £1595 will include return economy class flight London to Talinn, train to St Petersburg, flight from St Petersburg to Riga and from Riga to London. Transfers, hotels on a bed & breakfast basis, coach transport for group visits, the services of expert guides, museum & gallery entry fees, the Rossica Choir concert & the suppers on the first night in Tallin & the last night in Riga. REDUCTION of £150 if joining the tour in Talinn.
EXTRAS: the essential Russian Visa (£48 + procurement £45), Holiday Insurance, meals other than breakfast and the two dinners on the first and last night, theatre, additional opera and ballet tickets [options and prices will be circulated to those booking for the trip about 8 weeks in advance], wine or liquor, transport for individual visits, gratuities etc. Single Room Supplement £265
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This very special trip focuses on the art and music of the city of St Petersburg (8 nights in St Petersburg) and is framed by the Travellers’ Club return visit to the charming and lively city of Tallinn, capital of Estonia (2 nights), and a first visit to Riga the port capital of Latvia (1 night), thus encompassing three Baltic countries rapidly finding their post-communist freedoms and thriving in their different ways. An important feature of this visit will be our special relationship with the ROSSICA CHOIR of St Petersburg, the world-class choir of professional singers whose contacts with the musical and cultural life of that most artistic of cities will give opportunities for private concerts, special access to places of interest and other spontaneous experiences.
The visit to St Petersburg coincides with the White Nights Festival an annual feast of music and cultural experiences masterminded by Valery Gergiev, the most energetic international conductor of our day. The festival programme is finalised only a very few weeks or even days ahead but is invariably interesting.
| Date |
Itinerary |
| Thursday 22nd May 2008 |
Depart London Gatwick 0930 by Estonian Airlines OV 104 arriving Tallinn 14.25. Transfer to an Hotel (probably the Hermitage) located a short stroll from the charming and historic Old Town..
A short guided walking tour of the Old Town and a welcoming mediaeval-style Estonian dinner will be included. (Note:-Estonian time is two hours and Russian time three hours ahead of London) |
Friday 23rd May |
Breakfast in the hotel. Morning minibus tour to Pirata and local palaces, now museums and art galleries, and other local attractions. Rest of the day free to explore Tallinn, one of the beauties of which is that it is a small city, easily walkable. An optional concert or theatre visit in the evening. (In 2007 went to a fine La Traviata at the splendid opera house- £14 for a stalls seat. Audience stylishly dressed) |
| Saturday 24th May |
After breakfast by train to St Petersburg and transfer to our hotel, a small friendly place in easy walking distance from the key centre of the city, the Nevsky Prospect and the Rossica Choir’s performance palace. The choir director and some members will join us for supper. |
Sunday 25th May |
A morning visit to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan for those inclined to witness the Russian Orthodox church with its music and liturgy in its most spectacular form. Several Rossica Choir singers sing in the choir here.
In the afternoon, an overview tour of the city by bus taking in the Peter and Paul fortress and its cathedral, where St Petersburg was founded on an island at a junction of the River Neva, St Isaacs Cathedral, the Admiralty, the Winter Palace housing the Hermitage Museum.
To conclude the tour we will visit the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Monastery), the second most important Russian Orthodox monastery in Russia, where the baroque Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is a highlight and where the cemetery contains the graves of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev and Glinka in the musicians corner and where lie Dostoevsky’s remains.
A visit to the Mussorksky Theatre in Mikhailovsky Square, the smaller ballet/opera house of the city, or another theatre is an option for the evening.
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Monday 26th May |
In the morning a guided visit to the Yusopov Palace with its fantastic interiors and the fascinating basement where Rasputin was reputedly poisoned and shot before being tossed into the River Neva. The nearby Red October shop is a good place for seeking presents for the family or that important dog-minder back home or just for souvenirs.
In the evening we will visit, by a short stroll, the Rossica Choir’s performance palace beside the Fontanka River for a special, almost private, concert included in the tour. |
Tuesday 27th May |
Breakfast and then catch the first10am hydrofoil for an all day visit to Petrodvorets, otherwise known as the Peterhof Palace, built by Peter the Great to rival Versailles- an ornate creation on the shore of the Gulf of Finland with wonderful shady parks, gardens and fountains and other surprises. On arrival a guided tour of the main palace and later the smaller Mon Plaisir palace by the waters edge with plenty of time to have a leisurely lunch and wander in the park and gardens, returning by coach in late afternoon.
An optional evening visit to the Mariinsky Theatre, home of what used to be called the Kirov ballet and opera. |
Wednesday 28th May |
A guided visit to the legendary Hermitage Museum will take place in the morning, followed by a visit to other local sights close to the city centre including the Cathedral of the Spilt Blood and its adjacent market.
A visit to the Mussorksky Theatre in Mikhailovsky Square, the smaller ballet/opera house of the city, or a concert at the Philharmonia Hall or Valery Gergiev’s new concert hall opened in 2007 are options for the evening. |
Thursday 29th May |
Either a free day (– see below for options) or an all day boat trip with an early start (8am ish) by rivers and Lake Ludoga to visit historic Valaam Monastery an ancient source of Russian Orthodox music and tradition. Returning at 11pm, with two meals included –a new venture recommended to the Travellers Club. (Extra cost to be advised) |
Friday 30th May |
A free day to revisit the Hermitage museum or make special visits to some of the many individual attractions of this special city, for example:
- The Russian Museum in the Mikhailovsky Palace with its wonderful collection of Russian art from the 11th century icons until today. The dramatic paintings by Ilya Repin, regarded by some as Russia’s greatest painter are a must.
- Oranienbaum for palace afficianodos, the extravagant creation of Peter the Great’s friend Menshikov but which bankrupted him through its extravagance. About 25 miles west
- Or just to mooch along the Nevsky Prospect, watch the lively city crowd and take a boat trip round the local rivers and canals of this ‘Venice of the North’ with English commentary.
A final chance for another visit to ballet, opera or special concert, and for late birds, a stroll along the embankment until the early hours to see the illuminated bridges open about 1.30am to let the sea-going ships in and out of the Russian river system, and to mingle with the crowds of locals enjoying food and drink in the late night light. Maybe the night for the Last Supper (included) depending on the cultural programme. ( Perhaps the Rossica Choir will come up with something really special as they did last year) |
Saturday 31st May |
A day trip to Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo - Tsars Village) 25km south of the city, to see Catherine’s Palace with its famously reconstructed Amber Room, and its beautiful park Then to Pavlovsk for lunch and to visit the palace given to Paul by his mother Catherine the Great, designed by British architect Charles Cameron and awarded the Travellers Club ‘Favourite Russian Palace (so far)’ prize on the last trip. Plenty of time to stroll and even picnic by the lakes, hopefully.
Possible evening activities include hearing a consummate accordianist and friend of our tour leader at the Café Mozart or maybe a another White Night’s Festival treat. (Last time we found the Mariinsky theatre chorus performing Rachmaninov’s Vespers at the richly mosaiced Church on Spilt Blood, for example) |
| Sunday 1st June |
After breakfast just time to visit St Nicholas’ Cathedral, a stunning baroque creation of 1762, on a leafy site at the junction of two canals, before heading for the airport and Latvian Airlines flight at 14.30 to Riga, arriving 14.55. If flights are on time we will be able to check in and stroll in the fascinating Old City before either a musical treat at the wonderful National Opera House, the Wagner Hall or to hear the organ in the huge Dome Cathedral or a Last Supper Latvian style ( Note:- One last supper for the group is included in the tour. This will take place either in St Petersburg or Riga depending on the cultural performances that emerge as programmes are published) |
| Monday 2nd June |
Breakfast and time for a short bus tour of some of the many attractions outside the walls of the old City of Riga with fine art nouveau influences, have a relaxed lunch before heading for the airport for the 16.30 Latvian Airlines direct by Flight to Gatwick arriving 17.25 |
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Russian planning is renowned for being subject to last minute changes and adjustments, even, for example, their major theatres, being essentially organised on a repertory basis with a permanent cast, can substitute one ballet for another or even for an opera just a few days before the event.
Tickets for opera and ballet are now available via the internet about four weeks prior to departure and the options will be circulated to Travellers to enable them to buy tickets in advance.
Russian hospitality is equally renowned for being warm and friendly but uncertain until the day and always splendid on the night. Accordingly the above programme will be subject to fine tuning or even change, but a fascinating visit is assured. |
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