SDA1. Earth and Heaven of Russian Province

We invite you to the area located to the South from Moscow, to the borders between Old Russian state and so called Wild Field (frontier areas of the Great Steppe).

You will visit estates of Russian noblemen and old cities where unique atmosphere of Russian province is kept, where ignorance and barbarous customs was side by side with the greatest rises of the human spirit.

Itinerary:

Day 1. Arrival in Moscow. Transfer to the Cosmos *** hotel. Accommodation since 14:00.

Day 3. Breakfast. City tour of Kaluga: main church of Kaluga – the Trinity Cathedral, panoramic platform near the Oka River bank where clients can see “Vostok-1” spacecraft – original duplicate of Yuri Gagarin's flight spacecraft, house museum of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (this modest Russian provincial school teacher of Polish noble family (Ciolkowski) is considered a founder of cosmonautics theory and author of original cosmic philosophy; this is a tradition of Soviet and Russian cosmonauts since flight of Yuri Gagarin in 1961 to visit Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's house in Kaluga after successful finish of the cosmic flight). Lunch at city restaurant. Excursion to the Polotniany Zavod (the Linen Factory) country estate of Goncharov noble family (wife of the great Russian poet and creator of modern Russian literary language Alexander Pushkin Natalie was Goncharov by origin). Transfer to Yasnaya Polyana (estate of the great Russian writer and thinker Leo Tolstoy). Accommodation at the Yasnaya Polyana hotel *** located just near the estate museum. (BL)

Day 4. Breakfast. Yasnaya Polyana tour (house where Leo Tolstoy lived and created a lot of his famous works including novel War and Peace, house for guests named “Annex of Kuzminskys” because Kuzminsky family lived here more often. park described in novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, independent visit of Leo Tolstoy's grave). Kozlova Zaseka railway station – the nearest to Ysnaya Polyana railway station from where Leo Tolstoy leaved for all his trips. Now railway station of the end of the 19^th century is restored there. Lunch at local cafe “Preshpekt”. Transfer to Tula (the oldest in Russia center of weapon industry: in the beginning of the 18^th century during the Great Northern War against Sweden (1700-1721) Russian tsar Peter the Great set local gun foreman Nikita Demidov to arrange small arms factories in Tula). City tour of Tula including visit of local Kremlin and Museum of Arms. Transfer to railway station. Train #067 Tula – Oryol (19:51-22:17). Arrival in Oryol (Russian fortress founded in the middle of the 16^th century by order of tsar Ivan the Terrible during active colonization of the Wild Field). Accommodation at the Athlantida hotel ***** (accommodation at the hotels of lower categories is not recommended). (BL)

Day 5. Breakfast. Oryol city tour +Nikolay Leskov's house museum (wonderful Russian writer of the end of the 19^th century Nikolay Leskov is known as an author of stories and sketches about Russian capital and provincial mode of life written by original language, one of this works “Lady Macbeth from Mtsensk district” became a literary base of opera by Dimitry Shostakovich). Lunch. Transfer to Spasskoye-Lutovinovo through old town of Mtsensk where house of Catherina Izmailova (Nikolay Leskov's Lady Macbeth) is kept. Tour to Spasskoye-Lutovinovo (country estate of another talanted Russian writer, Leskov's contemporary Ivan Turgenev, author of famous novel about Russian nihilism Fathers and Children and a lot of other excellent novels and stories; term Turgenev's girl became a symbol of pure and romantic characters). Transfer to railway station. Departure for Moscow at 23:15 by train #604. (BL)

Day 6. Arrival in Moscow at 05:43 (the Kursky railway station). Transfer to the Cosmos hotel ***. Accommodation on arrival. Rest. Breakfast. Free time. Optional tours are recommended. (B)

All times are local.

Legend: B – breakfast, L – lunch, D – dinner.

Costs in EUR netto for tour operators and travel agencies:

Included:

• accommodation at TWN standard rooms

• meals per programme

• excursions per programme

• transfers on arrival and departure in Moscow (for 6-9 pax without guide, for 10 pax and more with guide)

• service of English-speaking guide (other languages on request)

• train tickets: sitting car on train Moscow – Kaluga, 2^nd class/4-berth compartment on trains Tula - Oryol - Moscow

Not included:

• visa

• insurance

• air tickets

Supplements, EUR per person:

• SGL accommodation at the hotels +185

• TWN compartment on train Oryol – Moscow +68

1. All the costs are valid at the date of publication and are subject to reconfirmation at the time of booking.

2. Ladies visiting Russian Orthodox acting monasteries should have skirts and head scarfs.