Russia Research Trip Day 4
Monday, October 14, 2019 5:30 pm
Uglich, #Russia, Viking ship Rurik stateroom
This morning I awoke to the sunrising as we sailed up the Moscow Canal.
After breakfast, I went to a lecture about the history of the Romanov dynasty. Then, I went to the lounge and talked with Jane (the wife half of that couple from Michigan we’ve been hanging out with) about knitting. She gave me an awesome sock knitting pattern.
I went to another lecture on Russian language, and then we had lunch. We ate with these two nice ladies from Chicago, who actually sat next to us in the terminal as we waited for the plane from O’hare. The Black Forest ice cream we had for dessert was exceptional!
Once we docked in Uglich, we had about an hour before our tour left, so John and I headed into town. Within five minutes, John had spotted a cat and went on an adventure to go meet it—essentially leaving me to fend for myself. Luckily, he made it back before the tour left; he never did get to pet the cat.
On our tour, we went on a home visit. This is where a local couple invited us into their home for tea and cake. Their names were Misha and Elena. I was the only one that brought them a gift, and I was relieved that they seemed liked it. Anyone who says Russians don’t have a sense of humor is a filthy liar. Misha made many funny jokes. They showed us their garden, which was very nice. As it was late in the season, they didn’t have many plants left, but there were some very pretty striped roses.
Next, we went to the Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood, which is where eight-year-old Tsarevich Dmitry was killed. This time, they let us take pictures in the church.
One interesting thing our guide told us is that the floor is made of cast iron, which can be heated from below to warm the church in the winter.
Here is where Dmitry and his mother lived while in exile before he died. It’s the oldest building in Uglich.
This is the bell tower where the bell-tower, where the locals say the watchman saw the murder of Dmitry and rang the bell to alert the town.
Next, we went into Cathedral of Our Savior’s Transfiguration, another nearby church. I was interested to learn that priests in the Russian Orthodox Church can marry. Also, services are around two hours long, and worshippers have to stand the entire time!
After leaving the church, John and I went to a convenience store and bought SNACKS!!! Oh so many snacks. So far, I have to say that their bacon flavored onion ring chips put Funyuns to absolute shame!
