Uglich

Saturday 27 August 2016

Just so you know, Russia is about 8 hours ahead of Texas time…

After sailing away from Moscow on Friday we cruised down the Moscow Canal.  We went through several lochs to enter the Volga River.  Saturday afternoon we arrived in Uglich.  Small town appearances and culture like this is the main reason we chose to do a river cruise.  It is charming, colorful and the people were inviting and friendly.  Upon arrival we disembarked and took a leisurely 3 block stroll to the market.  We browsed all the goods and waited for the group tour to catch up to us.  We joined the last group, turned on our listening devices and walked a short distance to the Kremlin.  (this word actually means fortress or walled city, not necessarily associated with government)  Uglich was founded in 1148 and has several beautiful domed churches as well as a lovely park on the waterway. 

 The lecture/tour took about an hour and a half and after we boarded a bus as we were invited to a Russian home.  This was very interesting to see – the neighborhood was similar to the spread out version of houses in Twin Oaks, where we live.  The road however was unpaved and most houses had lush flower/vegetable gardens abutting the homes.  Our hostess welcomed us into her home – there was a small entry way with 2 doors, perhaps what we call a mudroom and then a hallway leading to the kitchen, bathroom and living room. (I think it was probably a 3 bedroom house, though she did not say) The kitchen was of medium size and had a giant modern fridge, stove/oven and microwave.  I did not notice a dishwasher, except the lady who was helping…lol  The living room was cozy but currently had a long table and benches for the 20 of us to sit at.  We learned a bit about the homeowner, Glennis, and how her parents had built this home by hand over a period of 1 year, 50 years ago after the war.  She then offered us the traditional guest drink of moonshine.  We had a toast and I drank my tiny sip.  It was quite smooth, and didn’t burn going down.  The taste was a bit like cherry-flavored fire…lol  She said it was normal for guest to drink 3 shots minimally, so about half the group obliged, including Brian.  I had another half glass, as I did enjoy the taste…

                        B at front gate of Russian home

We had a leisurely stroll back to the ship through the souvenir market – oh, darn, more shopping!  I bought a few more items, including a watercolor painting – the artist spoke a bit of English, so we conversed about painting and parted happily.  I met up with Brian as the end of the market (he went the to grocery store, of course) and he was making balloons for 2 cute girls – we took photos, so Jess could make his choice of Russian girl for wife…lol!  I also made a balloon animal for a 10 year old boy who said he was “boss” of the stall that sold soaps, nesting dolls and other items.  He was so delighted and said “thank you” while his mother suggested he give me Russian soap.  It was a fun exchange of language and culture. 

Uglich was enchanting and I could have stayed longer but we had to board the ship.  Oh sad news – my phone only seems to work in the big cities, so no more Pokemon – damn!  Since we only seem to be touring churches and historical buildings, I am quite disappointed…lol!

After dinner aboard the ship, there was international music trivia.  The questions involved what country the song was from and a tidbit of info about that country; plus you got bonus points for your team if you danced.  I was the only one on my team that was willing, so I basically danced for over an hour…phew! Glad I didn’t shower before dinner…lol!  There was a column on the side of the dance, so I stole a bit from a friend, Jan Fisher, and did a bit of pole dancing…lol!  We did not win however, as we missed 3 questions and 1 team had a perfect score…next time…

Thus ends our first port city – we are cruising all night and an early arrival Sunday in Yaroslavl.  815 tour!!! UGH!!!