We are back in Moscow, and have started our classes, but we spent several days on a tour of several cities outside Moscow. We’ll be posting about this adventure a little bit at a time over the next few days, as well as sharing updates about our classes and field trips in Moscow.
We arrived in Suzdal’ in the evening, and checked into our very cosy hotel, that resembled a log cabin from the outside. It was about -15 degrees celsius outside, but we braved the wintry weather and headed down the street for a dinner of moose dumplings and блинчики (Russian pancakes) at a nearby restaurant.
In the morning we went to an open air museum about ordinary life in old Russia, where we saw many historic wooden buildings, including both a summer church and a winter church (usually neighborhoods had both, the winter church was smaller and easier to heat). We also heard the bells ring at a monastery, and ate lunch in the market square.
Winter church (foreground) and Summer Church in Suzdal’
We only made a brief stop in Vladimir in the afternoon. It was only 4 o’clock, but the sun was already setting. In spite of the cold, there was a Christmas festival going on, with a skating rink, a fun fair and many beautiful holiday lights. We briefly toured the Assumption Cathedral, and saw frescoes painted by the legendary Russian artist Andrei Rublev, and then headed back to Moscow in the evening.
Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir
Кира
Wellesley in Moscow 