Albuquerque International Association – Past Trips Abroad

In 2020 Albuquerque International Association members embarked on a unique Journey. The Volga and Don Rivers are to Russia what the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio Rivers are to the United States — great waterways that course through the nation’s heartland at the pivot of its history. Along their banks tumultuous events have unfolded: Russia’s struggle against the Mongol Khans that opened the gateway to the East, fierce peasant rebellions led by the famous Stenka Razin and Emilian Pugachev, and the battle of Stalingrad that determined the fate of the world. The cities we visited — Uglich, Nizhnyi Novgorod, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov and Volgograd — each with their own unique histories, were the birthplaces of many of Russia’s cultural and political leaders and are rich in architectural, artistic, commercial and scientific achievements. The adventure began with three exciting days in Moscow, then we cruised in comfort down Mother Volga and the Quiet Don, gaining as never before remarkable insights into Russia’s past and, perhaps, a glimpse of her future as well.