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v i k i n g c r u i s e s . c o m . a u 19 is the group of nine exquisite imperial Easter eggs. To cap off our final day in this remarkable city, we enjoyed a loud and lively Cossack Folk song-and- dance performance with a drop of vodka. Naturally. Our sojourn in St. Petersburg was hectic but not arduous, and we were continually informed about every aspect of Russian life, its complex history and detailed facts about all the places we visited. Before dinner each evening, there was a full briefing about what to expect the following day, which was most useful. In addition, the ship's newsletter, Viking Daily, was delivered to our room. By contrast, the next few days were a tranquil meander along the River Neva, across the 136-mile- long Lake Ladoga (Europe's largest), with its 700 islands and along the 139-mile Svir River towards Lake Onega. Before we reached this lake, we stopped briefly at Mandrogy, a small, restored 18th-century settlement that is home to artisans creating all manner of crafts using ancient methods and horse-drawn transport. Here, you can buy genuine hand-crafted souvenirs or even create your own by painting matryoshka nesting dolls. If that's not for you, there are 2,800 vodkas to try followed by a visit to a banya, a traditional Russian bath house. Back on board, we headed to Kizhi, one of Lake Onega's 1,650 islands, a mere speck, measuring four miles by just over half a mile. Several generations of families lived and worked on the island in wooden two-storey homes. eir lives were tough in summer and tougher in winter. Today, Kizhi is essentially a museum dedicated to its stunning wooden churches, and dozens of 15- to 20th- century wooden structures. e most remarkable is the 22-dome Transfiguration Church and the nine-dome Intercession Church, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After Kizhi, our ship began its southerly journey towards Red Square and the Kremlin via the Volga-Baltic Waterway and the Moscow Canal. As we cruised in brilliant summer sunshine over the calm blue lake waters with distant fir-tree lined shores, life continued on board with entertainment, demonstrations, Russian language lessons and lectures. ere was a brief pause at Kuzino to visit the 1397 Kirillo- Belozersky Monastery and the Resurrection Convent, a huge Following an active sightseeing sojourn in St. Petersburg, the next few days were a tranquil meander along the River Neva Moscow Metro Station, Russia