One of several flooded cities we passed over. There were a few populations "relocated" to create the Rybinsk Reservoir, one of the most fascinating bodies of waters you can imagine! Thus, as you pass over a former Town Square, this is the top of the local church.
River scenes [click to enlarge]
Volga-Baltic Waterway canal and river system, c.685 mi (1,100 km) long, links the Volga River and the St. Petersburg industrial area. It consists of the Moscow-Volga Canal, the Volga River, the Rybinsk Reservoir, the Mariinsk system (composed of the Sheksna River, the White Lake Canal, the Kovzha River, the Mariinsk Canal, and the Vytegra River), the Onega Canal, the Svir River, the Ladoga Canals, and the Neva River to St. Petersburg. The waterway was begun in 1709 to connect St. Petersburg with the interior. The major canals were built in the 1930s. The waterway was reconstructed and modernized in the early 1960s, the principal addition being a dam across the Sheksna River near Cherepovets, which deepened the waterway as far as the Kovzha River, facilitating the use of larger vessels. Although more extensive, this waterway follows the historic Baltic-Volga trade route, in use since the 9th cent.
At the Sheksna River, the gatekeeper, so to speak, climbed down off his perch as our boat rose to the surface level within the lock, and handed me a fresh red rose. It looked like he grew them in his "station" up above the lock. It was so romantic! I guess he had been watching me as we passed through the lock process. I was usually the first one up or out on board in the mornings. I seemed to awaken at exactly 5:38 every morning. Coffee was served in the lounge starting at 6.
We saw so many of these barges on the waterways and other cruiseships like ours,
but other than that and a few small pleasure craft, not much traffic ??
