School trips make for an exciting alternative to the usual trips and are the trips of a lifetime for some BIS students. This year the BIS organised visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The first leg in Moscow included many memorable highlights, such as a visit to the astounding and colourful Kremlin, a fortified citadel complex of palaces and historic buildings that has been the epicentre of all religious and political activity in Russia since the 12th century and its magnificent Armoury Museum with Rembrandt’s paintings and the world famous Faberge eggs.
We admired beautiful gold capped churches, the statues, like the one of St. George slaying the dragon, the Red Square – the heart of Russia’s capital with the magnificent St Basil’s Cathedral, a masterpiece of Orthodox art with its fairytale candy-coloured domes.
Moscow is said to be the most expensive city in the world and the “Gum” department store is the most expensive place in it! However it’s still worth visiting as it has great architecture and unique atmosphere inside. We tried traditional Russian ice cream (morozhenoe). It was delicious. In the evening we went to Moscow circus. We also explored the Soviet metro system.
From Moscow, we continued on to St Petersburg by Sapsan high-speed train, passing through a variety of scenic landscapes. Without question, one of the finest ways to experience Russia’s diversity is onboard this famous Trans-Siberian railway.
St Petersburg is a jewel of a city, one of the most spectacular cities in the world nicknamed ‘Venice of the North’ thanks to its palace-lined waterways.
In St Petersburg, the trip took a more imperial theme, looking at the lives of the Russian tsars, and exploring the reasons for their demise. We toured the Cruiser Aurora, from where the first shots of the Russian Revolution were fired, revelled in the splendour of the Summer and Winter Palaces, enjoyed the impressive architecture of Nevsky Prospekt, visited the largest museum in Russia, the Hermitage and its Amber Room, the magnificent St Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Church of the Spilled Blood where Tsar Alexander II was killed…
All these took us deep into the Russian soul: troubled, big hearted, full of extremes, passionate.
We returned to Belgrade with impression that there are few destinations as diverse and exciting as Russia and with regret that the trip was over so soon.
‘Russia was so much fun, totally unexpected experiences and sights.’ (Eleni Y13)
‘I’m so glad Russia was my senior trip, we had the best time! I can’t even decide whether I like Moscow or St Petersburg more.’ (Milica Y13)
‘I enjoyed the trip and the museums and all those beautiful places we visited. The paintings, food, hotels were all good for me. I really liked it.’ (Yizheng Y8)
‘This year’s school trip included visits to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the two largest cities of the magnificent paradise on earth, Russia. The trip was brilliant and I had a wonderful time. It is one of the best enjoyments I’ve ever felt. My favourite parts were visiting the ‘Galeria’ shopping mall in Saint Petersburg, Kremlin in Moscow and the amazing palaces of Saint Petersburg. Thanks to BIS and Odeon World Travel agency, I’ve experienced the best trip of all time.’ (Milos Y7)
‘The museums were interesting and it was fun.’ (Nikola Y9)
‘I really enjoyed Russia. It is a great country and I loved everything except the fact that I didn’t try more Russian dishes. It isn’t the best place I’ve been to but it is in my top four.’ (Ilia Y8)
‘I liked Saint Petersburg the most, its architecture, its churches, everything. Moscow was OK. The metro stations were beautiful as well as the Red Square.’ (Naum Y9)
‘I liked the trip but there were too many museums.’ (Bence Y9)
