First Sunday in Vladimir...

Sunday is THE day that most Russian spend out and about, and here in Vladimir the tradition holds (and it's also party day, as the amount of "spent" beer bottles, cigarettes, etc., that I saw along my way to the American Home today would seem to indicate)... One of the women that works with Katya is a part-time guide, so we met up with her and another teacher in the group, Lori from Massachusetts, and her host family at 11:30am near the American Home. From there we visited a small convent-- we got there just before a church service began in an old cathedral on the grounds. The first picture below shows the крестный ход (procession of the cross), during which the priests carry an icon into the church. Such pageantry and so much symbolism! Once the procession entered the church, we were able to follow and I was actually inside during part of the service; by comparison to our largely Protestant American church services, a Russian Orthodox service can only be described as surreal. But very beautiful (though the asthetic draw was somewhat tainted by the temperature inside and the many bodies squeezed in) .

There was this young (20-ish) nun who I spotted peering around the corner of the church building. As soon as she spotted the procession, she sprinted over to the bells (next picture) and began ringing them quite dexterously. It was quite a sight!

After the convent, we visited the Stoletov House museum (a period museum, really-- the Stoletovs were a famous family centered on two brothers, one a general and the other a physicist) and the beautiful Patriarch Garden (last two pictures), a botanical garden worked on, mostly, by children, especially during the Soviet times. At the base of this long stairway is a pool and a pavillion, where we had tea (made from herbs grown there) and cake (homemade-- our guide, Larissa, picked the berries and made the cake from scratch). In the pavillion are pictured (l-r) me, Lori, her host's daughter Yana (who speaks English)Lori's host mother Natasha, Katya, and Larissa.

All in all, I think everyone is getting used to some of the "unique" Russian customs (like the hosts serving us food and then watching us eat, no coffee readily available, etc.). The first week has been great! (I can't wait to hear the other folks' tales from their dacha experiences!)