Saturday, March 1:Departure from New York City, Finnair flights AY104/AY263 to St. Petersburg (some tour members may arrange separate transport to Russia).
Sunday, March 2:Arrival St. Petersburg, 16:05. Transfer to hotel (Hotel "Moskva" or hotel of similar quality).
Monday, March 3:Excursion to the community of Pushkin south of St. Petersburg, site of the Catherine Palace, the summer residence of Catherine the Great. Theater performance in the evening (or Tuesday).
Tuesday, March 4:A tour of the Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage, ranks among the world's major museums and was the site of the 1917 Revolution. The museum's collection comprises nearly three million objects.
Wednesday, March 5:Flight to Irkutsk (scheduled on Transaero Airlines, the respected Russian air company that maintains a high level of flight safety on Boeing jets).* There may be a long lay-over in Moscow, in which case the tour will proceed by public bus to Moscow where there will be a walking tour of the city/free time (tour members responsible for meals in Moscow on this date).
Thursday, March 6:Arrival in Irkutsk, morning. City tour of this interesting Siberian city. Irkutsk, or "Paris of Siberia" as it was once known, was recognized in the 19th century as the administrative capital of Siberia, a boom town whose cosmopolitan population was comprised of exiles, fur traders, tea merchants, gold prospectors, and ex-cons. In the 20th century Irkutsk was the home of Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut.
Friday, March 7:Excursion to Lake Baikal, a natural wonder of the world whose fascinating ecosystem is comparable in its uniqueness to the Galapagos Islands. Visit to the Limnological Museum (study of the lake's ecology), Museum of Wooden Architecture, and to the Solar Observatory where there will be a briefing on the upcoming solar eclipse.
Saturday, March 8:Morning train on the Trans-Siberian railroad to Chita. This stretch of the Trans-Siberian is the most scenic, offering exquisite views of Lake Baikal along the mountainous shoreline. (tour members responsible for meals on train).
Sunday, March 9:Arrival into the Siberian city of Chita, very early morning. After a short rest in the hotel and breakfast, excursion to view the total solar eclipse which occurs at 10 AM local time (2 minutes 15 seconds duration). Later in the day, a city tour and possible visit to a museum devoted to the Decembrists, aristocrats exiled to this city for plotting to overthrow the tsar.
Monday, March 10:Flight to Moscow*. Arrival in Moscow and transfer to hotel (Hotel "Izmailova" or hotel of similar quality).
Tuesday, March 11:Tour of the Kremlin, the highlight of Moscow. Visit to the Armoury within the Kremlin grounds, the museum safeguarding the opulent treasures accumulated by the Russian state and Orthodox Church over the centuries. Red Square, St. Basel's Cathedral, "GUM" (Russia's largest "shopping mall")
Wednesday-Thursday, March 12-March 13: Free days in Moscow.
Friday, March 14: Transfer to airport. Finnair flights AY244/AY103 to New York City.
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