Alumni Travel

A Tale of Two Cities:  Moscow & St. Petersburg
with Holy Cross Associate Professor of Russian, Dr. Olga Partan
June 13-21, 2020

$4,599 per person/double occupancy
$5,499 per person/single occupancy

Have you ever wondered why Moscow is called “The Third Rome” and St. Petersburg “The Northern Venice”? In the current political climate, when Russia is often demonized by the Western mass media, what is the essence of Russian attitudes toward the Western world?

On this tour, we will visit the two great rival cities – Moscow and St. Petersburg - exploring how their rich cultural heritages reflect the juxtaposition of Russia and the West. In the first part of this journey we will plunge ourselves into Moscow’s eclectic nature, with its golden cupolas of Orthodox churches, rich cultural life, and streets jammed with foreign cars and expensive boutiques that exhibit both centuries-old tradition and the new post-Soviet ways of life. In the second part of the trip, we will move to the stylish westernized city of St. Petersburg, envisioned by Emperor Peter the Great as “a window to Europe” and built by foreign architects. We will visit world famous art museums and the country estates of the Russian Tsars. While exploring the Russian and Soviet past that is interwoven with the post-Soviet quasi-capitalist present of these two cities, we will visit cathedrals and museums, go to performances and concerts, and of course experience great Russian food.

Through daily talks, Prof. Partan (a Moscow native who teaches Russian language, literature and culture) will share her expertise on Russian culture, addressing such topics as Russia and the West, Russian art and literature, Faith and Superstitions, Gender Roles in Russian Society, as well as Russian views of national identity and historic destiny.

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