Perhaps the most striking is the 15th-century monastery of Voronet, known to Romanians as the “Sistine Chapel of the East.” Its unique cerulean blue, particularly resistant to the elements and popularly known as “Voronet blue,” is obtained from lapis lazuli. Nearby are the painted monasteries of Humor, Moldovita, and Sucevita, all inhabited by small communities of nuns who keep their brand of faith fervently alive in this remote and ruggedly beautiful outpost where life has resisted the passing of the last few centuries.
Sucevita Monastery’s exterior walls depict biblical scenes in colors that are still bright despite centuries of exposure.
WHERE: Suceava is 270 miles/434 km north of Bucharest. VISITOR INFO: www.romaniatourism.com/painted-monasteries.html. WHERE TO STAY: The new and surprisingly good Gerald’s Hotel is in the market town of Radauti. Tel 40/330-100-650; www.geraldshotel.com. Cost: from $110. HOW: U.S.-based MIR offers 16-day tours that include the monasteries. Tel 800-424-7289 or 206-624-7289; www.mircorp.com. Cost: from $5,495. Originates in Bucharest. When: May and Sep. BEST TIME: Jun–Sep for nicest weather and numerous local festivals.
Mountains, Saxon Villages, and Folklore of the Undead
SOUTHERN TRANSYLVANIA
Romania
Thrill seekers, wine lovers, photography enthusiasts, and travelers wanting total immersion in a gorgeous, untrammeled corner of Europe are drawn to Transylvania—the land “beyond the forest” in Latin—one of the last great European wildernesses. Cradled by the Carpathian Mountains, it is replete with ancient towns, fortified churches, Gothic castles, and legends about a certain nocturnal humanoid with prominent canines.
Though 21st-century influences are spreading—you may encounter sights like a rural farmer armed with a pitchfork and a mobile phone—centuries-old peasant lifestyles and traditions endure in Southern Transylvania’s villages. The cities too speak of the past. The walled Saxon towns of Brașov, Sibiu, and Sighișoara offer equal parts medieval architecture, traditional and modern culture, and thriving dining and café scenes. Hiking, biking, and skiing opportunities abound in the nearby Bucegi and Fagărăs Mountains. Tour-bus gridlock notwithstanding, guided trips to the area’s castles are also appealing, especially Bran Castle, inaccurately but fondly known to vampire fans around the world as Dracula’s Castle.
Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula was inspired by Vlad Dracula, a 15th-century Transylvanian prince known for his bloody habit of impaling his enemies on stakes. It’s been established that Vlad spent at most a few nights in Bran Castle, but that hasn’t stopped the steady flow of Dracula buffs, who come from all corners of the world. Rising dramatically out of a rocky bluff, the castle looks the part of a vampire’s den and is worth a visit.
A night or two spent in the surrounding villages allows a glimpse of the traditional ways that still dominate the lives of over 40 percent of Romanians. There are dozens of inviting possibilities, including the carefully restored Saxon villages of Biertan, Viscri, and Malancrav, all within an hour of Sighișoara. They have maintained their traditional appearance and are building a modest tourist infrastructure with the help of the United Kingdom–based Mihai Eminescu Trust, whose benefactors include Prince Charles.
Saxons built Bran Castle in the 14th century.
WHERE: 130 miles/209 km northwest of Bucharest. VISITOR INFO: www.romaniatourism.com/transylvania.html. WHERE TO STAY: The aristocratic Mikes family welcomes guests at Zabola Estate’s Machine House. Tel 40/724003-658; www.zabola.com. Cost: from $100. MIHAI EMINESCU TRUST: arranges guesthouse stays in villages around Sighișoara. Tel 40/723-150-819; www.mihaieminescutrust.org. Cost: from $80. HOW: California-based Wilderness Travel leads a 12-day walking/cultural tour through Southern Transylvania. Tel 800-368-2794 or 510-558-2488; www.wildernesstravel.com. Cost: from $3,695, all-inclusive. Originates in Bucharest. BEST TIMES: May–Jun and Sep–Oct for nice weather and fewer crowds; 1st week after Easter for the Days of Brașov festival; Jul for Sighișoara’s Festival of Medieval Arts and Crafts; Jul–early Aug for Sibiu’s folk crafts and music festivals.
Otherworldly Wilderness in Russia’s Far East
KAMCHATKA PENINSULA
Kamchatka Krai, Russia
Often dubbed “the land of fire and ice,” the dramatic Kamchatka Peninsula is one of the most beautiful regions in Russia. Jutting between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, the 770-mile-long peninsula—roughly the size of California—is a land of verdant forests, awe-inspiring mountains, and more than 150 volcanoes, 29 of them active. Lava fields, crystal clear rivers, towering glaciers, and mist-covered lakes all add to the feeling that you’ve stepped back into the Pleistocene era. The area is also incredibly remote—an 8.5-hour flight east of Moscow and some 1,000 miles west of Alaska.
Kamchatka is home to herds of reindeer and bighorn sheep, the world’s largest population of brown bears, moose, wolves, and half the world’s population of the magnificent Steller’s eagle. Off the coast, a variety of aquatic mammals—seals, sea lions, whales, dolphins, walruses—frequent the nutrient-rich waters. Among them is the massive blue whale: Earth’s largest living animal, it grows up to 90 feet long and can weigh up to 200 tons.
Roads are often badly rutted or nonexistent here. Travel is by four- or six-wheel drive, light plane, or, more often, helicopter, with experienced guides a necessity. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (usually called simply PK), founded by a Danish-born naval captain in 1741, is the main town and the ideal base for expeditions. The town itself (population around 200,000) consists of decrepit Soviet-era apartment blocks but enjoys a majestic setting overlooking Avacha Bay and surrounding snow-covered peaks. Don’t leave without taking a tour of the bay, where fascinating rock formations rise like curved pillars from the water.
Around 120 miles north of the city is the spectacular, 4-mile-long Valley of the Geysers. Carved by the Geysernaya River, it has 90 geysers (second only to Yellowstone, in the U.S., see p. 909), along with gurgling mudpits, sulfur pools, and hot springs, all of which help to create a scene straight out of Middle Earth. Nearby is the massive 7-mile-wide Uzon Caldera, remnant of an ancient volcano. You can visit both on a day trip by helicopter from the city. Visits to meet the indigenous Koryak and Even people, seminomadic reindeer herders, can be arranged by overland or helicopter tours to their remote summer camps. You can also sign on for 2-day trips down the Bystraya River (little matches it for king salmon and wild rainbow trout fishing), which include horseback-riding excursions and ascents up the spectacular peaks for which Kamchatka is famed.
WHERE: 1,410 miles/2,269 km northeast of Vladivostok. WHERE TO STAY: The small, modest Explore Kamchatka B&B and travel agency (it also arranges custom tours) in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is owned by an American expat. Tel 7/41531-66-601; www.explorekamchatka.com. Cost: rooms from $85; 10-day excursions from $3,100, all-inclusive. BEST TIME: Jun–Sep for warmest weather.
Russia’s Most Famous Temple of Culture
THE BOLSHOI THEATER
Moscow, Russia
One of the world’s most magnificent performance halls, the Bolshoi (“Grand”) Theater is looking more dazzling than ever following its top-to-toe renovation begun in 2005 and scheduled for completion in 2013. (Until then, performances take place in the adjacent, more intimate New Stage Theater.) Located near the heart of Moscow, a short stroll from Red Square (see next page), this is one of Europe’s largest venues—seating over 2,000 spectators—and the place where some of the greatest musical works ever to emerge from Russia premiered. The historic pink-and-white theater was founded in 1824 and debuted Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in 1877 (still a standard on the program, as is The Nutcracker at Christmastime). For much of the 20th century, it continued to serve as a launch pad for some of Russia’s best-known operas and ballets, including works by Prokofiev and Shostakovich, among many others, while star dancers like Galina Ulanova, Rudolf Nureyev, and Nadezhda Pavlova helped bring world renown to the Bolshoi Ballet.
For decades, the Bolshoi was a sacred artistic institution, flourishin
g under czars and, later, free from the oppression of the Soviets. After the fall of Communism, Russia’s perilous economy gave rise to the rumor that the Bolshoi had exhausted itself and was now simply resting on its laurels. But the excitement is back, and the opera and ballet companies are once again deserving of their majestic, gilded theater. Although tradition remains sacrosanct—the repertoire still consists primarily of the Russian classics—innovation, reform, and new blood have brought the Bolshoi into the 21st century.
Be sure to visit the venerable landmark across the street, the grand Hotel Metropol, an enclave of early-20th-century Russian opulence. Stop by for tea, a preballet drink, or an extravagant dinner in the cavernous, glass-domed Art Nouveau restaurant, where scenes in Doctor Zhivago were filmed and where Lenin once delivered impassioned speeches.
The century-old Hotel Savoy, a short stroll from the Bolshoi, offers pre-Revolutionary Russian romance; its 67 classic-style rooms are outfitted with Italian furniture and marble-filled bathrooms. For those who think bigger is better, the nearby Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel, on historic Petrovka Street, has a more contemporary look, with 231 handsomely appointed rooms and a towering, sunlit atrium.
INFO: Tel 7/499-250-7317; www.bolshoi.ru. When: closed mid-Jul–Aug. HOTEL METROPOL: Tel 7/499-501-7800; www.metropol-moscow.ru. Cost: dinner $150. HOTEL SAVOY: Tel 7/495620-8555; www.savoy.ru. Cost: from $300 (off-peak), from $585 (peak). MOSCOW MARRIOTT ROYAL AURORA HOTEL: Tel 7/495-937-1000; in the U.S., 888-236-2427; www.marriott.com. Cost: from $475 (off-peak), from $775 (peak). BEST TIME: May–Oct for nicest weather.
Inside—and Outside—the Fortress Walls
THE KREMLIN AND RED SQUARE
Moscow, Russia
The historic seat of power for fabulously wealthy czars and despots, and a prized conquest for the odd foreign invader (Napoleon holed up here in 1812), the Kremlin, meaning “citadel” or “fortress,” has seen dramatic upheaval since it was a mere wooden stronghold that arose beside the Moscow River in the 12th century. Today, its role is to serve as the official residence of the president of Russia, though it is perhaps better known for its magnificent architecture and for the dazzling treasures it houses.
Enclosed by high, 15th-century brick walls that run for more than a mile with 19 watchtowers, the sprawling 68-acre complex served for decades as the epicenter of the Soviet Union, beginning when power was transferred here from St. Petersburg in 1918, and it still exudes an air of mystery. The Armory Museum, its most visited site, offers a dizzying crash course on the lifestyles of the rich and famous czars: Its 4,000 objects, dating back to the 12th century, include exquisite Fabergé eggs, the jewel-studded helmet of the first czar, Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov, and the ivory throne of Ivan the Terrible. View the baubles and regalia of the Romanovs in the Almazny Fond (Diamond Fund), where you’ll find the scepter of Catherine the Great—topped by the 190-carat Orlov Diamond, a gift from her lover Count Orlov—and her diamond-encrusted coronation crown.
Three cathedrals are among the Kremlin’s star attractions. The 15th-century Assumption Cathedral (aka Cathedral of the Dormition), with five glittering gold domes and a marvelous collection of icons, is where reigning princes swore fealty and czars were crowned. The majestic Archangel Cathedral was a burial site for princes and czars. Lording over them, the Cathedral of the Annunciation claims the tallest structure in the Kremlin—the octagonal, 266-foot-high Ivan the Great Bell Tower.
The vast, magnificent Red Square, the Krasnaya Ploshchad, stands just outside the Kremlin’s east wall. In old Russian, krasnaya (red) also meant “beautiful,” but for years to come, Red Square will be associated with Communism and the choreographed military parades that regularly took place here. Also in the shadow of the Kremlin is the Lenin Mausoleum, where the first Soviet leader’s embalmed body has been eerily lying in state since his death in 1924. At the far end of the cobblestoned square stand the exuberant, candy-colored pinnacles and onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in the mid-1500s.
Overlooking it all is the Hotel National in its original Art Nouveau splendor. Spacious rooms are decorated with Italian furnishings, and most suites afford enviable Kremlin and Red Square views. Ask for Suite 107, where Lenin lived for a time in 1918. In the capital, things are done on a grand scale, including the newly built Ritz-Carlton Moscow. It enjoys an imperial vantage point from its location on Tverskaya Boulevard, known for its upscale shopping. The best place to drink in the views is from the sleek, penthouse O2 Lounge, especially when the square is illuminated at night. Sunday brunch is the draw at the hotel’s intimate Caviarterra restaurant, famous for a buffet of more than 60 dishes. A surprisingly inexpensive alternative (this, after all, is one of the priciest areas in Moscow) is the Melody Hotel, a reliable and well-located option a 15-minute walk away.
A prominent feature of Red Square, St. Basil Cathedral commemorates Ivan the Terrible’s conquest of the city of Kazan.
THE KREMLIN: www.kreml.ru. HOTEL NATIONAL: Tel 7/495-258-7000; in the U.S., 800-543-4300; www.national.ru. Cost: from $330. RITZ-CARLTON MOSCOW: Tel 7/495225-8888; in the U.S., 800-542-8680; www.ritzcarlton.com. Cost: from $680; brunch $100. MELODY HOTEL: Tel 7/495-660-7178; www.melody-hotel.com. Cost: from $175. BEST TIMES: May–Sep for nice weather; early Sep for Den Goroda (City Day), which features a parade, live music, and fireworks.
A World of Art Above and Below Ground
THE TRETYAKOV AND THE MOSCOW METRO
Moscow, Russia
Among the many museums and architectural splendors of Moscow is the Tretyakov Gallery, which houses one of the country’s finest collections of Russian art—over 150,000 works from the 11th to the 20th centuries. Wander through Russia’s first public museum, started in 1856 by the wealthy banker Pavel Tretyakov, and come face-to-face with some of the world’s great masterpieces, both well known and obscure. You’ll find evocative works by medieval icon painter Andrey Rublev (including his celebrated Holy Trinity), and brilliant portraits by 19th-century master Ilya Repin (such as his disturbing portrait Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan and a gentler one of the celebrated composer M. P. Mussorgsky). The museum complex also contains the adjacent 17th-century Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, whose exquisite, five-tiered iconostasis dates back to the same period. Nearby, a new branch of the Tretyakov showcases Russian avant-garde artists of the 20th and 21st centuries—including Kandinsky, Chagall, and Malevich—and also displays more curious works of Socialist Realism created in the 1930s, when idealized portraits of peasants and factory workers were all the rage.
For more art from the Soviet period, head underground, to the Moscow metro, where you’ll marvel at the repository of elegant marbles, bas-reliefs, and mosaics—sometimes illuminated by glittering chandeliers. The first stage of the 180-plus stations was completed in 1935 and was quickly hailed as one of Stalin’s shining triumphs. Much of the artwork found in the stations pays tribute to historical events—portrayed through a pro-Soviet lens. The palatial Komsomolskaya station features an enormous hall with Baroque details and ceiling mosaics depicting Russian military triumphs. The Mayakovskaya station may be the metro’s crown jewel, with its stainless-steel columns and white-and-pink marble floors. The ceiling mosaics depict scenes from “24 Hours in the Land of the Soviets,” a poem by Soviet playwright Vladimir Mayakovsky. Novosloboskaya station boasts 32 backlit stained-glass panels portraying joyful farmers and workers in the Socialist Realist style. Brass borders frame each panel, with pink Ural marble and conical chandeliers adding to the grandeur.
STATE TRETYAKOV GALLERY: Tel 7/495953-1051; www.tretyakovgallery.ru. WHERE TO STAY: The famously quirky but well-located Golden Apple is one of the city’s newer boutique choices. Tel 7/495-980-7000; www.goldenapple.ru. Cost: from $190 (off-peak), from $270 (peak). BEST TIME: Jun–Aug for nicest weather.
Cruising the Volga and Beyond
WATERWAYS OF THE CZARS
Moscow, Russia
Although Moscow and St. Petersburg are featu
red on many sailing itineraries, neither is actually on the Volga. The river is, however, part of a network of interconnected canals, locks, and lakes that makes a journey by boat possible from either city. On your way, you’ll pass medieval towns with Orthodox monasteries and cathedrals standing silently on the banks, towns that make up what’s known as Moscow’s “Golden Ring” for their wealth of artistic and architectural treasures. The charming city of Uglich, dating back to 937, is known for striking examples of Russian architecture built over the centuries, including the famed 17th-century Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood, erected in memory of Ivan the Terrible’s son, who died on this spot in 1591.
In Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe, you’ll find the island of Kizhi, covered with an extraordinary array of centuries-old wooden buildings that were transported here from various parts of the region, creating an open-air museum of more than 80 structures. The 17th-century St. Lazarus church is one of the country’s oldest wooden chapels, while the 22-domed Church of the Transfiguration was built in 1714 without a single nail.
From Moscow, river journeys also head south along the largely unexplored Lower Volga, with a stop at Kazan. The proud center of Tatar culture, it is home to an ancient kremlin (fortress) that dates back to 1005 and holds an impressive array of historic treasures. The spires of mosques and the onion-shaped domes of cathedrals rise around the town, which also has a sprawling market that’s ripe for exploring. Farther along is Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, the site of World War II’s bloodiest battle (over a million Soviet and Nazi soldiers died over 200 days). The event is memorialized today by the 280-foot-high statue Motherland Calls. The final stop on a Lower Volga cruise is Astrakhan, the world capital of caviar, where the river—Europe’s longest—meets the Caspian Sea. Set amid the wetlands of the Volga Delta, Europe’s largest estuary, this pretty town and its environs are a wondrous habitat for flamingos and pelicans, as well as for the beluga sturgeon that have made it famous.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 52