spring spring spring

I went on another group hike yesterday through the woods north of Moscow. When all was said and done we had hiked 17 miles and my knees feel it this morning, let me tell you.

It was quite pleasant though. There are some regulars who I recognize now, and its generally a nice group. Yesterday me and this Irish guy were the only foriegners.

The forest smelled soooooo good. Flowers on the forest floor were in full bloom, as are lilac trees right now. I also noticed that what appears to be blue salvia grows wild in the forest here. One thing that struck me though, was the seeming lack of wildlife. I saw some scat I don't recognize, but aside from chirping birds, there were no animals, we were fairly deep in the woods for awhile, and even though there are populated areas, we were some distance from Moscow. Its just interesting because in Virginia I've seen deer, fox, and even bears not that far from populated areas. And then I started wondering if Russia even has deer this far north. It made me think of the t-shirt Sarah bought for a friend of hers that said "I have been to Moscow, there were no bears."

Perhaps the best part of the day was when we got on the train home. We were at the end of the line and got seats, as did a group of older women who also appeared to be out in the suburbs enjoying the days. Turns out this group of women is also some sort of singing group and the whole train ride home was filled with their voices, singing the always slightly melancholy Soviet songs of the 1940s and 1950s. It was lovely. Its moments like those that make me not want to leave this place.