A family in/near/just ouside (I'm not sure-- maybe "boondocks" is the best reference) Suzdal opened their home to us. This had to have been one of THE best excursions we've made, by far! As you can see in the first picture, our all-terrain bus is parked on a dirt road in the middle of Nowhere (well, it's really in the middle of Somewhere, if you're a Russian), in front of the house where Sergei (husband) and Nina (wife) live with a son, daughter, son-in-law, two grandsons, and a whole lot of flora and fauna (pigs, turkeys, geese, chickens, dogs, at least one cat, and rows and rows of things growing).
To the apparent surprise of our Russian ekskursovody (guides), this family was more than ready for us. Man, they put out a spread like you wouldn't believe! The pictures below don't do the experience justice. In the close-up picture, there is sliced cheese (some with dill in it), bliny (traditional-- and scrumptious-- Russian pancakes), a samovar with hot water in it for tea, homemade jam, a bottle of mead (lightly alcoholic honey drink), plus other things, such as fresh cucumbers, bread with fruit in it, Russian-style boiled potatoes, etc. In the same picture, there is a pitcher with a cloth on top-- this was warmed, unpasteurized milk (I passed). Also, the host, Sergei, brought out some locally produced Russian white lightning called samogon (lit. homemade fire)... We did the obligatory one shot during a toast and all of a sudden my cataracts were gone (okay, not really, but you get the point). Since Sergei works for the one factory that produces hard liquor in the region, he had more than a few bottles of samogon and mead on hand, so he parceled out a few as gifts. When we were done eating, we got to take a look inside their house-- it was really interesting to see how a typical Russian family lives beyond the apartments of the city.The last picture is of the family (minus the older grandson). It was true Russian hospitality! And so much food. After chowing down with Sergei and Nina, we headed off to visit a relatively new, but traditional style resort-type hotel (where the beer bath thing is available-- I just don't get it, but I'm simple, so...), and then we went to... (see next post)
