Thirty-third Post From Türkiye: Veliky Novgorod and Moskva Part II

Getting into Russia means getting a visa. When we got our pictures taken for the visa, the photographer told us NOT to smile. I was just trying to do what the guy said. Apparently I, and the rest of the family, took the not-smiling a little too much to heart. At any rate, I think the Russkies took one look at our dour faces and said, “these are our kind of people!” as we got the visas pretty quickly.

Have You Seen these Fugitives from Justice?

Veliky Novgorod

During our stay in Petersburg we took a a day trip to Veliky Novgorod ("Novgorod the Great"), one of Russia's most historic cities. This city was mentioned in 9th century chronicles as one of the trading stations used by Swedish Vikings who sailed down Russia's rivers to Byzantium. These "Varangians" ruled over the local Slavic population, forming the medieval Rus' state. The city was never conquered by the Mongols, and was ruled by Prince Alexander Nevsky, in the 13th century, who famously defeated the invading Teutonic Knights on the frozen surface of Lake Peipus in 1242. For that reason, Nevsky is a Russian national hero, and was the subject of Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 biopic. 

Arriving at the train station, which still has its sickle and hammer.

Nevsky is Still Watching Over the Town

                                                                 Vitoslavlitsy

After leaving the train station we caught a bus to the Vitoslavlitsy open-air folk museum along the River Volkhov. It has over twenty wooden buildings (churches, houses, and mills) dating from the 14th to the 19th century, which were transported from all around the Novgorod region.

Nothing better than a picture of Merry taking a picture.

Trum Finds an Old-Tymie Swing

I think Merry was feeling the call of her Volga German ancestors when she saw this peasant costume.

The Nearby Yuriev Monastery

Does Anybody Want to Buy Something Made of Wood?

Meanwhile, Back in Town

Veliky Novgorod is famous for it's old Kremlin. What's that you say, you thought the Kremlin was in Moscow? 'Kremlin' just means 'fortress' so there are many in Russia.

Oh man! We were lucky enough to see some musketeer reenactors.

                                                           
                                      The Millennium of Russia Monument (1862)

Nevsky, and Maybe Some Varangians?

Cathedral of St. Sophia

Babushki Selling Veggies

After a fun, but long day in Veliky Novgorod (it was three hours on the train each way) we came back to St. Petersburg. I felt like I didn't include enough pictures of the Winter Palace last time, so here's one more.

Throne Room

                                                 Back in the USSR...or Just Moscow
As I mentioned a couple blogs back, seeing Lenin's mummy has been one of my life-long travel goals. I was supposed to go to Moscow for work five years ago, and I thought I was finally going to get to see the man himself, but forest fires prevented me from doing so. There were a couple other times I thought I might get to Moscow, but the fates were against me. This time, even though I planned carefully so that we would be in Moscow on days when Lenin's Tomb was open, my schemes were almost foiled again. It turns out that the opening times for the tomb had changed since the guidebook I was using to plan had been printed. When I discovered this, I had to change our train tickets to an overnight trip so that we would end up back in Moscow early in the morning, and make it to Red Square before Lenin closes (they only keep him open a few hours per day, just a few days per week: it was probably easier to get an appointment with the man when he was alive). Why do I care about seeing him so much? A long story, but, basically, though I don't admire him, it's an odd but fascinating experience to be able to see one of the 20th century's greatest history-makers lying in a glass case 91 years after his death.

                                            Lenin's Mausoleum and Kremlin Necropolis
Outside of Lenin's mausoleum, other Communist heavy-hitters have been buried. One of these is "Big Bill" Haywood. What? You don't know who he is? If you're from Idaho, you should. He was born in SLC and was one of the founders of the radical Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). He worked in an Idaho silver mine for a while, and was implicated in the 1905 assassination of the former governor of Idaho Frank Steunenberg, who had run afoul of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM). Pinkerton detectives kidnapped Haywood and brought him to Boise for trial, where he was defended by famous lawyer Clarence Darrow. Haywood was acquitted, but got in trouble with the law for labor agitation during WWI. He ended up fleeing to the newly-formed USSR, served as an advisor to Lenin, and died there in 1928.

Waiting in line to see Lenin with all the other saps. I'm shielding my eyes with a long-neck Mountain Dew bottle (just a resourceful old Boy Scout).

"Big Bill" Haywood's Marker

Entering the Tomb

Mom, Quit 'Stalin' and Take the Picture Already!

Izmaylovo

Our last day in Moscow we visited the famous flea market in the Izmaylovo District, northeast of the city center. It's the prefect place to buy every Russian knick-knack you can imagine.

Matyroshka Dolls

Soviet and Russian Surplus Military Junk

Georgian Drinking Horns and Knives

All Manner of Animal Skins

Yards and Yards of Paintings and Antiques

Russia was a blast. There's so much history around every turn. It's crazy to go from the foundations of the medieval Rus' to the grave of a radical Idaho miner in the space of a couple days. For the most part, I thought the Russians were actually pretty friendly (of course, I went with low expectations). My Russian sucks, but I don't know what we would've done without it. The good thing is that, no matter where you go in the world, you can always form a common bond with your fellow human beings by sharing your love of Metallica and Guns n' Roses (I did this in Petersburg with a cabby. He still ripped us off, but did it in such a pleasant way).