MOCKBA 2

                                                  Tolstoy's grave

Tolstoy's Yasnaya Polyana was worth the 4 hour traffic jam it took to get there....it was very beautiful and inspiring. It has been kept just as it was during his lifetime despite the fact that the contents had to be evacuated to Tomsk in Siberia during WW2 as it was occupied by the nazis and only saved from a torching by some  valiant locals.The grounds were full of brides paying pilgrimage and looking for  photo opportunities.  Unfortunately the traffic deprived us of Chekhov's country house but Oleg our guide was very patient and as his English was so good we could ask him many questions about Russia so now have a better understanding of how things are here.

Gulag Museum

Lenin's tomb yesterday was a sobering experience as was the wonderful and comprehensive Contemporary History  Museum which covered the 19th and 20th centuries.Despite the fact all the signage was in cyrillic it was an enriching experience and not to be missed. Some things were glossed over though...in particular Stalin's horrendous crimes ,although The Gulag Museum goes some way to redress that I suppose.
Then on to Gorky's art nouveau home and the odd French pastry and cuppa tea......
I might add that nothing is easy to find as the street signs are all in cyrillic and maps do not seem to match reality...well that is how it appears to us and to find each of these venues requires (it seems)hours of walking and map gazing and attempts to find a Russian who speaks a little English!

Today it was a walk to the river and some tasty blinis and honeyed tea from the local monastry cooks selling by the side of the river....then on to St Basils....  more French Pastries ...train at midnight tonight for St Petersburg (so it is just as well we have all those pastries to fortify us)...will save the Kafka meets Godot experience at the PO for later!!

dasvidanya Kath et al xo