The passage of Peter the Great

Causing a buzz among U.S. tourists on this stop was a dock-side row of ramshackle souvenir stands, four of which sold authentic full-length Russian mink coats for $1,500 to $2,000 and numerous mink accessories.

Mandrogi, an early settlement/amusement park/zoo wanna-be, this enclave includes the summer home of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Most of the tourist-oriented enterprises here belong to his friends (thus the mandatory stopover for all ships plying the waterway, say some locals quietly).

Its handicraft shops feature artisans painting wooden eggs, lacquer boxes and the popular wooden nesting dolls, some in such fine detail the artists use brushes with only one strand of hair. Here, too, is a museum dedicated to that Russian staple, vodka, showcased in countless bottles, figurines and crystal.

Large pavilions facilitate barbecue meals for the throngs disgorged daily from the cruise ships. The food and local entertainment — both of marginal quality — add to the festivities. (As for shopping, one's penchant for buying souvenirs was doused when it was discovered that postage stamps for postcards sold for $4.)

The original village of Verkhnie Mandrogi was destroyed during World War II. Its rebirth was begun in 1996 and is very much a work-in-progress.

No doubt St. Petersburg and Moscow are worthy of their world-class status and were exclamation-point bookends of this trip. But as is often the case, the soulful and essential ingredient of the visit was most evident in the heartlands and hinterlands, in quaint villages, at old settlements and in the warm, welcoming country folk.

"The Passage of Peter the Great" made those offerings readily accessible to the Russian visitor. And the passage accented its fascinating fare with cursory looks at expansive plush forests, major industrial complexes and power plants, palatial contemporary homes along the river, and with fiery, camera-straining sunsets that doubled in awe with shimmering reflections on the watery.

That's very likely what that 2008 travel catalog says, too.

If you go ...

Who: Alumni Holidays International (AHI International; www.ahitravel.com), which caters to university alumni groups.

Where: Moscow to St. Petersburg (or reverse) in the northern reaches of the Russian Federation.

When: April-September as the temperature plummets to 40-degrees below zero six months of the year.

How: Lufthansa Air Lines, Chicago-to-Frankfurt-to-Moscow; 120-passenger, 3-deck river cruise ship traversing a 1,200-mile river-lake-canal water system.

How much: From $4,595, plus visa fee, Salt Lake City-to-Chicago air fare; airline fuel surcharge, port taxes and single supplement.

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Mike Korologos is a public relations consultant and lives in Salt Lake City.