When I think of Russia I think music, literature, dance; horse-drawn sleds in romantic snowy landscapes; golden-domed churches; opulent palaces of the Romanovs; and borscht (beet soup). During our Viking River Cruise in Russia, we had a chance to experience all that and more.
Our Viking ship was named after the first Russian Dynasty’s progenitor, Rurik, who may or may not have been a Viking Prince and may or may not have been “invited” to rule Novgorod (one of Russia’s oldest cities) in 862. Nevertheless, the family took root and ruled what became known as “Kievan Rus” until 1598. The last of the Rurik bloodline was Ivan the Terrible. Their history of royal intrigue and murder set the tragic example for the reign of the Romanovs, Rurik’s successors. The Romanov Dynasty lasted a mere 300 years, ending with the abdication and murder of Tsar Nicholas II during the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.
