Rostov Velikii

Well folks, I popped out of town again this weekend, courtesy of Zhenya and her Zhiguli driving dad. This time, we went to a town about an hour north of Pereslavl', called Rostov-Velikii (or Great-Rostov, which is different from the Rostov in the south, on the Don River).

Rostov is even older than Moscow or Pereslavl', and it was founded in 862. Unfortunately, nothing from that time period survives, but the Kremlin, which dates from the 1660s is an absolutely beautiful architectural ensemble. There is something about the wood and grey in the towers and domes, combined with the not-quite-restored look of the place that reminds one of the passage of time. Restoration work is a necessary part of historical preservation, but sometimes it makes objects look too new and too perfect.

Zhenya's mom fed me to the point of bursting again, and this morning Zhenya and I walked around Pereslavl', stopping off at the Iron Museum (as in the things you use to iron clothes). There was this guy there who told the whole history of iron technology, and he also threw in some annecdotes about the other uses of irons. These include garlic mashing and meat tenderizer, mouse trap, fly-trap and cockroach trap (these uses can be found in the iron model that has a chamber where you add hot coals). If the iron isn't big enough to trap all of your cockroaches, he recomended building a little noose-set onto the iron so that other cockroaches, in their despair could commit suicide (see attached picture). The guy was just hilarious.

In other news, I lost my sunglasses and I have a sinus infection. 16 days and counting....



Monastery in Rostov - note the cows grazing outside.


Rostov Kremlin


Main Cathedral in Rostov


Death to Cockroaches