A month after our trip to Vladimir and Suzdal (see part 1) we ventured off to a couple more towns on the Golden Ring. First up was Sergiev Posad, home to the Trinity monastery of St Sergius, founded in 1340, which is today one of the most important spiritual sites in Russia and an active… Continue reading The Golden Ring Part 2: Pereslavl-Zalessky and Sergiev Posad
Tag: Russia
The Golden Ring Part 1: Vladimir and Suzdal
At varying distances of between 2 to 5 hours drive north east of Moscow are a collection of small towns known as The Golden Ring. These towns date from the early 12C and contain some of the oldest and most beautiful early Kremlins, monasteries, cathedrals, and churches with their prominent onion domes. They are considered… Continue reading The Golden Ring Part 1: Vladimir and Suzdal
An overnight train to Kazan
I have always liked going on foreign trains and especially overnight ones – it seems like such an adventure and a great way to see some of the countryside. But I do wonder if writers who say things like “I was gently lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sounds of the wheels on the track… Continue reading An overnight train to Kazan
2 Days in Yekaterinburg
I Am Back and blogging again! After a longer than planned stay in the UK, I am finally back in Russia! On the first day of freedom from my 2-week quarantine we got on a plane and flew to Yekaterinburg (also spelt Ekaterinburg). The city is the 4th largest in Russia and sits in the… Continue reading 2 Days in Yekaterinburg
Ah, Honey Honey!
The lovely Kolomenskoye Park, on the south side of Moscow, is currently hosting the annual Honey Fair (until the end of Oct). Inside an enormous yellow tent, next to the children’s funfair, there are row on row of stalls selling honey, honeycomb, wax, honey drink, and all things related. Beekeepers and traders come from all… Continue reading Ah, Honey Honey!
A weekend in Volgograd and a night on the train
Anybody who has been to Russia, or who is into their military history, will know that Volgograd – known as Stalingrad during the Second World War – was the sight of a ferociously bloody battle. My husband was going there on a business trip and, being a bit of a military history buff, he thought… Continue reading A weekend in Volgograd and a night on the train
COVID – WHAT COVID?
After a semi-enforced 6 months away due to the pandemic I am now back in Moscow where it seems to be back to ‘business as usual’. I got an inkling of what to expect when checking in for my flight. Almost everyone at the airport was wearing a mask, as per the rules, except for… Continue reading COVID – WHAT COVID?
Siberia part 2 – Lake Baikal
The drive from Irkutsk to Olkhon island is 4 hours. We set off at 10:00 heading north out of town. Slowly the city sprawl and the villages strung out along the road gave way to a vast nothingness. Mile after mile of a gently undulating, muted, two tone landscape; brown trees, brown grass, brown earth… Continue reading Siberia part 2 – Lake Baikal
Siberia part 1 – Irkutsk
I have just spent an amazing 3 days visiting Irkusk and Lake Baikal in Siberia. First let me start with getting there. My husband and I flew with Pobeda, Aeroflot’s low cost airline. The crew were smart and professional and the planes clean but basic. It is a 6 hour flight but the airline is… Continue reading Siberia part 1 – Irkutsk
A Love Poem for St Valentines Day
A Russian love poem about love of his country by Mikhail Lermontov (1814 – 1841). Translated by Peter France. Lermontov was a Romantic and considered the Byron of Russia. My County I love my country, but with a strange love – stronger than reason! ….. Neither the fame that blood can buy, nor the calm… Continue reading A Love Poem for St Valentines Day
Russian Reflections 