Two meals in two hours!

Another place to eat! After visiting and eating with Sergei and Nina's family yesterday (Saturday), we had a stop at one of the newer hotels in the area, then we were at this restaurant for lunch, which had been arranged ahead of time. No one knew that there would be so much food at the Russian family's house (apparently it was supposed to be tea and a light snack). Here we are eating in a typical-looking traktir (tavern-style restaurant)-- yes, a full course lunch (salad, bread, some sort of warm potatoes in a bowl, soup, a fish dish, and coffee/tea). After this we went to...

Nope, not to another place for food (thank God). We visited another hotel, a relatively swanky one by Russian (and even maybe Western) standards. Since yesterday was 07-07-07 on the calendar, we saw a few couples getting married. At this second hotel, we walked past a couple about to release a pair of white doves; however, oddly enough, I didn't hear anyone yelling "Gorka!" at the couples (maybe I just missed it). Gorka means bitter and it's a tradition for well-wishers to yell this at the bride and groom-- then they kiss, changing the bitter to sweet by tradition.

After the hotel, we visited a ceramics place (where pottery is made; actually a few in our group made an small item while there)... It was quite an eventful day, considering we started with cow poop and all...