Who: Kent and Susan Oakes of Denver, Colorado
Where: Near the top of the belfry of the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery in Yaroslavl, Russia, with the 17th century St. Michael of the Archangel Church in the background
Out and about: Yaroslavl is one of the oldest and most well-known of Russian Provincial cities located on the Volga River. It is one of the stops for many of the river boat cruises traveling between St. Petersburg and Moscow. The city not only has a lovely waterfront but has many dazzling churches including St. Elijah’s Church on the Central Square. The interior of St. Elijah’s leaves one in awe of the Russian icon and fresco painters of the time.
Travel tip: Take the river cruise in the spring or fall and take a suitcase full of bottled water. Tap water in Russia is not safe and their bottled water contains a lot of sodium. The tour staff did provide some bottled water on the bus but not enough. Take only very new U.S. bills as the banks reject or devalue any used bills to the financial loss of the local vendors. Save souvenir shopping for the vendors at Uglich – one of the stops just before Moscow.
