Patamateria

After a very lazy morning, we set off to Novgorod, breaking there for one night as the journey to Moscow is long. So about 3-4 hours on the road today and about 8 tomorrow. The roadside wooden houses are in a much worse state here in Russia than in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The reason being that after the fall of communism, people were hit with such poverty that these wooden houses fell into disrepair – strangely enough they seem to cave in in the middle, or tilt dangerously. Most of these tilted houses are inhabited, judging from the curtains and cars outside, although there are as many abandoned as there are houses being lived in. But it’s obvious that some are being repaired, rebuilt and generally being made habitable.

The forests here are different too: not many firs but lots of birch. And so dense and thick. You really wouldn’t want to get lost in one. Or meet a bear. And the roads…. judging from the blue signs, we were on a motorway, with everyone changing lanes madly – not to overtake, but just to avoid potholes and broken verges.

And then we arrived in Novgorod! Such a beautiful place, a little jewel! We drove to the hostel which was once an Intourist hotel. A beautiful foyer, dining hall etc, and clean pressed linen in our three-bed room. But the bathroom! I can barely describe it… sink hanging off the wall at an angle, toilet cistern had no lid, shower head was indescribable, floor tiles were broken and dirty and the drain for this ‘wet room’ was on the upper part of the sloping floor. So we changed rooms.

Then we set off for a walk to the Kremlin across the river, passing a beautiful church complex before walking across a footbridge and through an arch into the Kremlin. The wind on the bridge was raging and icy – but a wonderful spot to take photos. A tall masted ship was moored just beneath the bridge, surrounded by ice floes. Walking through the grounds of the Kremlin we were surrounded by beautiful buildings – churches, concert hall, belltower – all in beautiful condition, pristine and in the most beautiful pastel colours. Out the other side and we were in the town, with a beautiful shop selling artists’ handicrafts and a small market in a row of cabins. We stopped off at a restaurant just for a coffee (great latte!) and ended up staying for a meal with wine and champagne. Very enjoyable, made even more quaint by the English translations of the Russian dishes!

Lovely place – could easily spend more time here!