Quote: The Pride and Joy of the city of Saratov is by far, the Volga River. I have Russian friends that have said, "I could not live without my Volga" The Volga River is the longest river in Europe. It extends about 2,300 miles. Across the river from Saratov is the town of Engels. A very long bridge connects the two cities. I was amazed at the width of this river at some points.

River Terminal is the place that boats leave for cruises and scheduled departures for many cities situated on the Volga River in Russia. We took a boat ride a short way down the river. The boat was entertaining. You could purchase food or drinks while listening to music. It was a short little scenic ride that took about 30 minutes or so. There are boat tours sitting along the embankment. As and they can direct you where to go to buy a ticket. The boats run often during the summer months. But in the winter the Volga is full of ice and snow!

Along the embankment there is a sidewalk in which you are able to walk along side the river. There are several cafes,bars and restuants that overlook the river. At the time I was there, there were not a ton of people walking along the embankment. There were some people here and there which made walking along the Volga easy and quiet. I found it enjoyable to simply watch the water flow past.

Most everyone has heard the classical music song "The Volga Boatmen". It is not recognized often by the name, but by the tune. Also there is a famous painting titled, "The Volga Boatmen." Being familiar with both of these, it gave me a sense of awe to stare upon this massive stream of water.

From journals The Mysterious Land of Russia: Saratov