What happens on board a Russian River Cruise?

After a relaxing and educational week on the Volga Dream, cruising between St Petersburg and Moscow, I wanted to share with you what happens on a Russian river cruise when you are not exploring the ports of call. You can participate as much or as little as you like, the atmosphere on board is relaxed and fun and most people join in the various activities available.

Russian Cooking Classes

As a lover of food and cooking I was excited to find that we could take part in a Russian Cooking Class with Andrey the head chef. We learnt to cook traditional Russian ‘blinis’ (pancakes) with jams, creams and cottage cheese and ‘pelmeni’ (ravioli) with a variety of fillings from pork, lamb, beef and mushrooms . The best part of course was eating your creations!!

Russian Language Lessons

You are given to opportunity to learn popular sayings and songs and also learn how to write your name in Russian. As a group you learn the very popular Russian song ‘Kalinka’ and if you are brave enough you get the opportunity to sing it in front of the boat on the final evening!

Master Class of Traditional Russian Dance

Definitely worth a go is the Russian dance class. You get taught the steps to the traditional Russian Dance, the ‘Khorovod’, a combination of circle dance and chorus singing, which is a bit like the hokey kokey… I found it a bit tricky to get the hang of but once I did there was no stopping me!

Festival of Russian Cuisine

One night during the cruise the staff put on a Russian themed night where all food, drink, costumes and music is Russian. Get involved and incorporate a touch of Russian in your outfit for the evening. I was pleasantly surprised to find the majority of guests did make an effort and some of the outfits were brilliant!

Dinner is a delicious 5 course banquet with copious amounts of vodka (there is nothing like frozen Russian vodka, with its syrupy consistency – everyone should try it at least once!) tasting in between courses and a ‘best dressed’ competition.

There are activities to suit all tastes and ages onboard the Volga Dream; others that I haven’t mentioned but are just as fun, include Matryoshka (Russian stacking doll) painting, ‘Guess the tune’ quiz and a selection of films including ‘Catherine the Great’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago.’ Alternatively you can just relax on the sundeck…whatever you decide you are bound to enjoy your Russian holiday aboard the Volga Dream.

For more on holidays to Russia, Russian river Cruises and the Volga Dream contact us on 020 89562756 or email us at enquiries@exeterinternational.co.uk