Finland Russia Baltic Day 8

Trafalgar Tours - Day 08 - October 10, 2008 - Friday - Moscow, Russia

We woke up at 6:30 and after our showers we took a few photos of the bright red sunrise over Moscow. We caught up on the mail and had a nice buffet breakfast on the 2nd floor with our travel companions.

It was our turn to sit in the front of the bus today. We had a fantastic view as we traveled north to the city of Sergiyev Posad or Zagorst as it was know during the Communist era.

We left Xavier behind to check on the Belarus visas and welcomed Vera again this morning. We also have a new driver Sergio who will be with us for two days in the city.

Our excursion took us away from the 21st century cities back in time, into the Russian countryside to give us an opportunity to view first hand a Russian village and village life, unchanged for centuries.

We stopped for photos at Rodonezha to see the small Isba homes, year round primitive structures used by the local people. There is no running water but there are wells located along the roads.

As we drove on to Sergiyev Posad, Vera explained why the village is famous and known as the Russian Vatican, the center of the Russian Orthodox faith, religious art, and architecture.

For centuries the site served as the religious capital of Russia and place of pilgrimage for the faithful of the Russian Orthodox creed. When we entered the walls of the monastery, Vera bought the tickets and then we had to also pay for a photo permit.

These permits are common in most of the attractions here in Russia. They range from 100 - 200 rubles and are a must if one wants to capture the essences of the sites.

Within the old walled city we saw the Troitse-Sergieyeva Lavra, a working monastery where the Orthodox faith was tolerated by the Communist state and kept alive despite the years of “atheism”.

Our first stop was Cathedral of the Dorminition just in time for the mid morning service. Gennie purchased two candles for her parents and we were all amazed at the solemn ceremony of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The cathedral was built in the 16th Century with funds from Ivan the Terrible. There are photos along the walls of the Communists smashing the huge church bells that were later melted down for coins for the Soviet regime.

At the Winter Church, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, we were able to take photographs. In this church are the relics of the founder of the monastery from 1422. This is also the site of the election and ordination of the Patriarch, comparable to St. Peter’s in Rome.

We had free time to look around the monastery and to shop a bit and explore the city. We had a chance to look at some locally made Russian handicrafts, wooden toys, and matryoshka dolls on sale with the local vendors.

Gennie found a very nice woman who would bargain with her. With a little pleading and a lot of intense international negotiations they both parted with a handshake, smiles, and success!

We met at noon and Vera reminded us of the difference between a tourist and a hitch-hiker…. three minutes! She thanked us for our punctuality.

As we drove back through the small commercial center of this deeply religious city, we learned more about the religion of the country. Our guide explained that most people here are practicing Orthodox and many volunteer their days to the monastery.

Even at 1:30 the traffic was very heavy and congested due to many fender benders. Cars were zipping in and out of the designated lanes. Vera told us there are 5 million cars in the city. Most are new and very expensive.

Adding to the problem is the lack of parking. There are no parking garages so people park their cars anywhere on the sidewalks and in the side lanes of traffic. Many people double park which makes the already narrow streets almost impassible.

We got back to the hotel at 2:15 and then had 30 minutes to get ready for the afternoon and evening. We met our group at 2:45 for an included city tour. As Sergio negotiated the streets, Vera gave us a running commentary on the buildings, the history, and the politics of Moscow.

We stopped again at St. Basil’s on Red Square and were given almost an hour to look around, take photos, and to window shop at the huge Gum State Shopping Center where we splurged on a tiny dish of ice cream.

At 5:00 we had to meet back at the bus and we continued on our tour of the city. It was fun to see Gorky Park, the title of one of our favorite books. It is between seasons right now; a large amusement park in the summer and a skating park in the winter. Vera told us that until five years ago both the book and the movie were banned in Russia!

Our next stop was the Olympic Centre the site of the 1980 Summer Games. The facilities are still being used and appreciated by the citizens of Moscow.

From the University and the Olympic Park we went straight to the new Moscow Circus. Those who did not choose to go were taken back to the hotel.

The circus was well done with many international acts. The children loved the clowns as they interacted with the audience. Everyone was impressed with the rapid transitions between acts.

The usher in our section was going crazy trying to keep the audience from taking pictures. It seemed that our Trafalgar group was the only ones following the rules!

We met Xavier at 10:30 and were back at the hotel by 11:15. By the time we finished the journal and looked at our photos, it was way past time to get some sleep.

This was another busy day in Moscow but we would not have it any other way. There will always be time to sleep when we get back to Colorado!

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Sokolniki Hotel - - - Meal: B

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