Russia 2019 (25) THE RIVER - Finally Floating

After morning tours and lunch, we set sail down the Moscow Canal and onto the Volga River. Departure was 14:30 sharp and we would continue cruising over night. We were happy to have a little down time, instead of running from tourist site to site.

Through an on-board lecture on "Waterways of the Tzars" (the official name of our cruise event) we learned we would travel through 17 locks on this voyage.

At each lock our ship would rise or descend to the water level of the next leg of our journey. This happened at places where lakes or reservoirs were at a different height than the river. The gates at the front end were closed and, after we entered the lock, the back gates closed behind us. We waited there maybe 15-20 minutes, while the water level adjusted. When at the correct higher or lower level, the front gate opened and we continued on our way.

We went through six locks the first day. In this case, waters were drained, lowering our ship to the level of the next area. This is what it looked like when we entered the lock.

This is what it looked like as we exited.

Each lockmaster or pilot house had a different architectural style. 

Mechanics of the locks.

Doors were maybe two feet thick to hold back the waters.

This lock had duel passage ways to accommodate ships more quickly.

This was one of the more modern lockmaster or pilot houses.

Sometimes we got EXTREMELY close to the wall of the lock. Here a crew member monitors the situation.

Blue paint where a boat grazed the wall.

I could touch the walls of this lock.

Some locks were longer or wider. Additional ships or smaller boats would enter the lock with us. This cruise ship was behind us. We saw numerous ships like ours from other companies along the journey.

And all along the way we saw lovely lilacs.