July 16, 2002 Previous day
We started off the day with a visit to Kolomenskoye, an early summer residence of Moscow Grand Princes and Russian tsars.. It was here that Peter I was born and lived during his early childhood. Highlights included the 1873 Front (Palace) Gates andThe Church of the Icon of our Lady of Kazan.
The Church of the Ascension was built in 1532, in the Imperial estate of Kolomenskoye, near Moscow, to celebrate the birth of the prince who was to become Tsar Ivan IV "the Terrible".

The church is one of the earliest examples of traditional wooden tent-roofed churches on a stone and brick sub- structure and has had a great influence on the development of Russian ecclesiastical architecture. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site
The Church of the Icon of our Lady of Kazan dates between 1666-1670.
Front (Palace) Gates
Next we had a tour of the Tretyakov Gallery. It is said to have the best collection of icons, Russian paintings and sculpture
Leaving the gallery we visited the controversial sculpture Children are the victims of adult's vices by Mihail Chemiakin
Before we say goodby to Moscow, here are a few random memories.

With the playing of Farewell to Slavyanka, a march written during the Russian-Japanese War and popular in WWI the crew and passengers assembled on deck for the traditional leaving ceremonies.
Then, we slowly passed the Moscow Northern River Terminal, built in 1937 in "Stalinist Gothic" style to resemble a passenger ship. The red ruby star atop the 85-meter-high spire supposedly was taken from the walls of the Kremlin itself.
Sailing a canal was a rich experience. First, Moscow's Northern Cargo Port sprawled along the bank with its gigantic loading cranes that service ships from as far away as the Caspian and Baltic Seas. Soon we were watching the strollers and swimmers (including the "skinnydippers") - everone enjoying a warm summer evening. Then as the sun was settingwe approached what was appeared to be a fairly affluent recreation area.
With green banks sloping down both sides of the canal,the area is know as Glubokaya Viyemka, or "Deep Hollow". The guidebook Russia by River points out To establish a depth here of 23 meters, canal workers scooped out enough soil to fill a train reaching to Vladivostock. The scale of the effort is due to the fact that you're sailing through a mountain.
Before settling for the night we had the opportunity to meet the Captain and crew. We were treated to a traditional Russian welcome of bread and salt and lively music.
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