Day 9: Kizhi in Russia Travel Log

Today we crossed lake Onega to visit Kizhi. The lake was very calm and made for smooth sailing. We also had a visit to the wheelhouse in the morning. It was amusing, the controls look like they are from the 70s, and the bridge was much bigger than the one on river boats - that’s because the Russian ships can sail at sea and broken ice too, as long as waves are not high enough.

We got to Kizhi by 3 (there was also a talk about Putin before lunch so we were always occupied). Kizhi is an open-air museum with lots of wood structures moved there. It was the first sunny, warm day. I’ve had the most fun there; a local tour guide led us via a trail through the museum, and explained each building’s significance. The center pieces were a pair of churches that were built there and not moved - the Church of Transfiguration, and the Church of Intercession. We went to the Church of Intercession to see some icons, but the farmhouse was a more amusing stop; they had set up the house to look like old times. The guide was highly amusing because he’s very philosophical, ranking “how are wooden churches constructed” being a next-most important question to “what is our purpose”.

After the walking tour we had some free time on our own, so I walked around the island to enjoy the sun mostly, but also the view of Lake Onega, while La Professeure went to shop for souvenirs.

That night we left by 6, and Viking also had info-tainment for us; I was tired by the first day of extended walking, but went to it anyway.

Last updated April 14, 2020