Ring in the new YeaR in RoYal StYlealumni.stanford.edu/content/travel-study/brochures/...Stroganov Palace. HOTEL ASTORIA (B,D) THURSDAY, JANUARY 3 st. PetersBUrG / U.s. After breakfast,

a program of the stanford a lumni assoc iat ion

S T A N F O R D T R A V E L / S T U D Y

St. Petersburg and the Tsar’s Ball

R i n g i n t h e n e w Y e a R i n R oYa l S t Y l e

December 27, 2012, to Januar y 3, 2013

Like most native Californians, my

idea of winter trappings is a sweater and umbrella,

so a Russian winter replete with snow, hot spiced

beverages and horse-drawn troikas definitely

sounds captivating. This year I invite you to celebrate

New Year’s in Russia as the Russian nobility did—

with dining, dancing and musical performances in

the lavishly decorated Catherine’s Palace, with its

fabulous Amber Room and magnificent Grand Hall.

During our visit to St. Petersburg, we also explore

the world-class Hermitage Museum, including

four halls of impressionist and post-impressionist

paintings taken from Germany after World War II

and secreted away until the museum’s “Hidden

Treasures Revealed” exhibition in 1995. This will

be a New Year’s unlike any other—join us!

BRE T T S. THOMPSON, ’83, D IRECTOR, STANFORD TR AVEL /STUDY

HighlightsC E L E B R AT E New Year’s Eve at the over-the-top Tsar’s Ball at Catherine’s Palace, with dining, musi-cal performances and dancing.

E N j O Y two separate visits to the magnificent Hermitage Museum, with its opulent State Rooms and world-class art treasures.

AT T E N D ballet and musi-cal performances at the famed Mariinsky Theatre and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Grand Hall.

Catherine’s PalaCe

COVER: CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR ON SPILLED BLOOD

st. isaaC’s

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 & 28DePart U.s. / st. PetersBUrG, rUssia

Depart the U.S. on overnight flights to St. Petersburg, arriving on Friday. Check in to our historic hotel, located on St. Isaac’s Square, at the very center of St. Petersburg’s vibrant downtown.HOTEL ASTORIA

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 st. PetersBUrG

After breakfast, visit the State Russian Art Museum, housed in the former Mikhail Palace and displaying Russian art that ranges from medieval icons to works of early-20th-century avant-garde artists. After lunch on our own, tour the massive and opulent St. Isaac’s Cathedral, built to celebrate Tsar Alexander’s victory over Napoleon. This evening, attend a musical performance at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Great Hall. Return to our hotel’s Caviar Bar for a lavish welcome reception with caviar, blinis, vodka and champagne. HOTEL ASTORIA (B)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 st. PetersBUrG

This morning set out for our first visit to the vast and luxurious Hermitage Museum, which contains one of the world’s leading collections of priceless art. Today we concentrate on the rich art collections and lavishly decorated state rooms, accessed by the gilded jordan Staircase. Relax over lunch at a favorite nearby restaurant. In the afternoon, enjoy a private tour of the Grand Menshikov Palace, built by Peter the Great for his friend, Alexander Menshikov, the first governor of St. Petersburg. Later, sip champagne as we are entertained by an ensemble from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. This evening, attend a superb performance at Russia’s best-known performing arts center, the Mariinsky Theater, known as the Kirov during the Soviet era.HOTEL ASTORIA (B,L)

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 st. PetersBUrG / PUshKin

This morning we return to the Hermitage Museum for a curator-led tour of the fabulous Scythian Gold Collection and the “Hidden Treasures

Revealed” exhibition of priceless late-19th- and early-20th-century French paintings removed from Germany in 1945 and hidden in the Hermitage cellars for 50 years. Our afternoon is free to prepare for the extraordinary evening ahead. Don your finest attire, bundle up in a warm coat and board a coach, led by a VIP escort, for the ride to the quaint village of Pushkin, where Catherine’s Palace is located. As costumed attendants offer us vodka, champagne and hors d’oeuvres, we are led to the Great Hall, where tables are exquisitely set for our six-course gala dinner. After a midnight bell concert and fireworks, dance the rest of the night away or take one of the frequent shuttle coaches back to our hotel when ready to wrap up the evening. HOTEL ASTORIA (B,D)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 1st. PetersBUrG / PaVlOVsK

Enjoy a morning at leisure after the New Year’s festivities. Depart this afternoon for a drive into the countryside to the village of Pavlovsk for a traditional lunch along with a performance of folk dancing

Itinerary

R U S S I A

Pushkin(Tsarskoye Selo)

St. Petersburg

B a l t i c S e a

Ne v a R i v e r

Pavlovsk

RUSSIASt. Petersburg

Moscow

and music. Continue by

horse-drawn troika (carriage) to Pavlovsk Palace, built by Catherine the Great for her son, Paul, when his heir, Alexander, was born. Almost completely destroyed during World War II, it has since been beautifully restored to its former splendor. Return to St. Petersburg in the late afternoon and enjoy an evening of independent dining and exploration. HOTEL ASTORIA (B,L)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2st. PetersBUrG

This morning visit the Yusupov Palace, an 18th-century architectural masterpiece and the home of the wealthy and powerful Yusupov family, close friends of the Tsar. The splendid rooms offer a glimpse into the life of the nobility on the eve of the Russian Revolution in the early 20th century. It was in the cellars of this palace that the long, laborious killing of the infamous “holy man,” Gregory Rasputin, began on the night of December 16, 1916, at the hands of friends

of the Yusupov family, who feared Rasputin’s influence on the Tsarina Alexandra. This evening we enjoy a farewell cocktail reception and sumptuous dinner at the Russian Empire Restaurant, located in the historic Stroganov Palace.HOTEL ASTORIA (B,D)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3 st. PetersBUrG / U.s.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for return flights home. (B)

R U S S I A

Pushkin(Tsarskoye Selo)

St. Petersburg

B a l t i c S e a

Ne v a R i v e r

Pavlovsk

RUSSIASt. Petersburg

Moscow

the tSar’S ballThe highlight of this program is the Tsar’s Ball at Catherine’s Palace, held on the evening of December 31st. The night begins as we travel from our hotel through a snowy winterscape to Tsarskoye Selo, now known as Pushkin. Usher in the New Year with all the pageantry, majesty and imperial grandeur once reserved exclusively for the aristocracy of pre-Revolutionary Russia. Upon entering the palace, pass through room after exquisite room, each lit by myriad candles. As we arrive in the enormous, gilded Great Room, gaze at the ceiling painting, “The Triumph of Russia.” Savor a lavish six-course dinner catered by the same French catering company that served at the original balls. While dining in regal splendor, enjoy excerpts from ballets and operas performed by members of local opera and ballet houses. At midnight, welcome in the New Year with a bell concert and a fireworks display in the park outside the Great Hall and dance late into the night. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime New Year’s Eve celebration.

lane tO PaVlOVsK

Post-trip ExtensionMOSCOWjanuary 3 to 6 Spend three days exploring this capital city. Visit the Kremlin, the center of Russian history and politics. Marvel at artistic treasures that cover the last thousand years of Russian history at the Tretyakov Gallery. View the Lenin Mausoleum and dazzling St. Basil’s Cathedral. Details and pricing will be sent to confirmed participants.

D a t e sDecember 27, 2012, to january 3, 2013 (8 days)

s i z eLimited to 34 participants

c o s t *$8,495 per person, double occupancy$9,345 per person, single occupancy*Association nonmembers add $200 per person

i N c L U D e D6 nights of deluxe hotel accommodations at the Hotel Astoria 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners Welcome champagne and caviar reception and farewell cocktail reception Bottled water on excursions Gratuities to porters, guides and drivers for all group activities All tours and excursions as described in the

itinerary Visa fees Transfers and baggage handling on program arrival and departure days Minimal medical, accident and evacuation

insurance Educational program with lecture series and pre-departure materials, including recommended reading list, a selected book, map and travel information Services of our professional tour manager to assist you throughout the program

N o t i N c L U D e DInternational and U.S. domestic airfare Passport fees Immunization costs Meals and beverages other than

those specified as included Independent and private transfers Trip-cancellation/interruption

and baggage insurance

Excess-baggage charges Personal items such as email, telephone and fax calls, laundry and gratuities for nongroup services

W h a t t o e x p e c tWe consider this program to be moderately strenuous and at times physically demanding. Daily activities may involve one to two miles of walking, mainly in museums, palaces and churches. In many instances, guided tours require climbing up and down several flights of stairs where steps may be steep, uneven and/or without handrails, and elevators may be limited or unavailable. Some sites do not allow motorcoaches to pull directly in front, thus requiring a short walk to reach the entrance. Expect cold weather and ground that is frozen and icy. Participants must be physically fit, active and in good health. We welcome travelers 15 years of age and older on this program.

Information

Catherine’s PalaCehermitaGe mUseUm

Deposit & Final paymentA $1,000-per-person deposit is required to hold space for this program. Complete and return the attached reservation form or place your deposit online. Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure.

cancellations & RefundsDeposits and any payments are fully refundable, less a $500-per-person cancellation fee, until 120 days prior to departure. After that date, refunds can be made only if the program is sold out and your place(s) can be resold, in which case a $1,000-per-person cancellation fee will apply. We recommend trip-cancellation insurance; applications will be sent to you.

insuranceStanford Travel/Study provides all travelers who are U.S. or Canadian citizens with minimal medical, accident and evacuation coverage under our group-travel insurance policy. Our group policy is intended to provide minimal levels of protection while you are traveling on this program. We strongly recom-mend that you subscribe to optional baggage and trip-cancellation insurance. A brochure offering such insurance will be mailed with your confirmation about one week after we receive your deposit. The product offered in this brochure includes a special Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions and coverage for

Financial Insolvency and Terrorist Acts if you postmark your insurance payment within 15 days of the date listed on the confirmation letter.

eligibilityWe encourage membership in the Alumni Association as the program cost for nonmembers is $200 more than the members’ price. Parents and their children under 21 may travel on one membership. For more information or to purchase a membership, visit alumni.stanford/goto/membership or call (650) 725-0692.

ResponsibilityThe Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford University and our operators act only as agents for the passenger with respect to transportation and exercise every care possible in doing so. However, we can assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity in connection with the service of any automobile, motorcoach, launch or any other conveyance used in carrying out this program or for the acts or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the program. We cannot accept any responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, force majeure or

other causes beyond our control. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates provide arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make such alterations to this published itinerary as may be deemed necessary. The right is reserved to cancel any program prior to departure in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. The right is also reserved to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the program. No refund will be made for an unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. Baggage is carried at the owner’s risk entirely. The airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time that passengers are not onboard their plane or conveyance. Neither the Alumni Association, Stanford University nor our operators accept liability for any carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket in connection with the tour. Program price is based on rates in effect in March 2012 and is subject to change without notice to reflect fluctuations in exchange rates, tariffs or fuel charges. As a condition of participation, all confirmed participants are required to sign a Release of Liability.

© COPYRIGHT 2012 STANFORD ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED ON RECYCLED, FSC-CERTIFIED PAPER IN THE U.S.

Terms & Conditions

teL (650) 725-1093 Fax (650) 725-8675 emaiL [email protected]

California Seller of Travel Program Registration #2048 523-50

PaVlOVsK PalaCe

MR. / MRS. / MS.MISS / DR. / PROF.

MR. / MRS. / MS.MISS / DR. / PROF.

ADDRESS

CITY / STATE / ZIP

PHONE

EMAIL ADDRESS

I/We have read the Terms and Conditions for the program and agree to them.

SIGNATURE

If this is a reservation for one person, please indicate: I wish to have single accommodations.

OR I plan to share accommodations with: _____________________________________________OR I’d like to know about possible roommates.

Here is my deposit of $________ ($1,000 per person) for _____ space(s).

Enclosed is my check (payable to Stanford Alumni Association) OR

Charge my deposit to my: Visa MasterCard American Express

CARD #

EXPIRATION DATE

CARDHOLDER SIGNATURE DATE

Mail completed form to address on mail panel or fax to (650) 725-8675 or place your deposit online at alumni.stanford.edu/trip?tsar2012. Please submit your reservation only once to avoid multiple charges to your account.

7542

KATHRYN STONER-WEISS, a senior fellow at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, was on the faculty at Princeton University for nine years prior to coming to Stanford in 2004. At Princeton, she was jointly appointed to the department of politics and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She has held fellowships at Harvard University as well as at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. Her main research interests include comparative state building and effective governance, political economy of developing countries, Russian domestic and international politics, and Canadian politics. During our program, Dr. Stoner-Weiss, who has visited Russia dozens of time in the last 20 years, will discuss the politics and economics of present-day Russia, while drawing upon the country’s rich history. At Stanford: Center on Democracy, Development and the

Rule of Law; faculty director, Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies

Fellow, Harvard University, Cambridge; the Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, D.C.

Author of Resisting the State: Reform and Retrenchment in Post-Soviet Russia (2006) and Local Heroes: The Political Economy of Russian Regional Governance (1997)

BA and MA, political science, University of Toronto; PhD, government, Harvard University

Faculty Leader

“Of all the traveling we

have done, the trips

with Stanford are far

superior to any we have

taken. The memories

last forever and can be

attributed to the thought

and planning that was

put forth by Stanford.”

Jan and dave Whitney, Stanford travelerS

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“The Tsar’s Ball was a magical fantasy that came true on New Year’s Eve. The evening could not have been improved!” J o a n h aW o r t h , ’ 6 0 | S t. P e t e r S b U r G a n d t h e t S a r ’ S b a l l , 2 0 0 6

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