Vodka tasting on board the ship

After we set sail that afternoon, Marina had a vodka-tasting party for us in the lounge.  It was grand - we were accompanied by a balalaika and accordian player, and Marina told us all about toasting and joke-telling, how vodka is made, etc.

My notes on the five vodkas we had -

1. Stolichnaya (Столичная) - clear, pure, no flavor
• Accompany with caviar or pickles
  
2. Starka/Starochka (Старка) - made with brandy
   
• Pickles
  
3. Okhotnichya (Охотничя) - made with herbs; bitter flavor because it also contains carnations
   
• Salted herring with bread and butter
  
4. Pepper (Перцовочка) - made from black pepper and red chili peppers
   
• Pickles or herring
  
5. Ryabinovaya (Рябинобая) - ashberry - can also be made with other fruits for different flavors; low alcohol content
   
• Crackers
  

When tourists stop in "Goritsy," they often pull into port in that town and are then bussed over to see the Monastery of St. Kirill on the White Lake in Kirillov.  This is what we did.  The Monastery, now strictly a museum, is huge and beautiful, with various exhibits on the local lace-making trade.  Not much else to say about this place, as we only spent an hour or so here.