Three days without hot water

Well, I realize that's hardly news, but it's the truth. Today is "turnaround" day, and all those who were here for two weeks have headed off to the airport, and those who are staying for four are feeling self-satisfied and maybe a bit smug that we are, despite the lack of hot water.

No pugs, today. About ten of us piled on a bus for Novgorod, about 120 miles south of Petersburg, and had the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide ever, and she hauled us around to monasteries, fortresses, cathedrals and statues where she told us about, well, pretty much the whole history of Russia, beginning with Ruric, who was the Russian prototype. Apparently he was from Sweden, and was called to the area of Novgorod to settle a dispute, and stayed, and somehow out of all that, Russia began. As you can see, I don't really understand how history works, but there is this amazing commemorative statue in the Kremlin in Novgorod that tells the history of Russia up to 1894 or thereabouts.

We walked past the river, and over the river, where Ivan the Terrible threw all the dead bodies of the people he killed when he plundered the town for its riches (the town of Novgorod was a major thoroughfare to Constantinople, a wintering-over spot for northerners on their way south, so the Novgorodians, like any good tourist town, exploited the fact that they could notcontinue on their journeys because of the frozen river and lake). The blood has long since disappeared, and across the river from where we stood gazing at the seven cathedrals built by the merchants to store their wares, just beneath the fortress wall, were a number of beach volley ball games being played on imported sand.

Okay, I'm pretty sure my history is wobbling here, so don't qyote me on any of that. The high points of the day were the monastory outside of Novgorod, a 10th century cathedral, and the Museum of Wood Building with original houses, churches, a chapel, and a well, all made from aspen wood and all amazingly adorned with a combination of christian and pagan symbols.

Amazingly adorned. How's that for vague?!?!? Pictures to come, and I'm really sorry that I have not yet figured this out. You would like the pictures, especially the one I took of the bride pounding the side of the church with her arm while being photographed by the official wedding photographer, and while her husband stood by holding her flowers...wedding parties come to this Museum of Wooden Buildings to have their photographs taken, and to get married, so we got to see a variety of practices related to the pagan aspect of the wedding, including the woman who precedes the bride and groom down a path, sweeping the path of evil with a broom.

Lots of birch trinkets for sale here, and bells to ward off evil, and some carved troll looking guy who sits in kitchens and hides stuff from people. Okay, I didn't get all the details, not really, but let's just say I'll be happy to get back to my own kitchen and not have to worry about living in a "black house" which was one in which no chimney was installed so as to avoid having to pay a chimney tax. So, while the annual outlay of money was reduced by letting the smoke from your chimney empty into your home and rise up into the children's sleeping area instead of directly out of the chimney and into the air, the mortality rate of children was extremely high; however, for the more practically minded, on the up side, "black houses", the ones permeated with soot, lasted longer because wood eating bugs never moved in.

Novgorod was a welcome relief from the craziness of Petersburg; not only were prices cheaper there, I also learned that Russians DO smile and can walk at a slowish pace and without wearing stilettos.

Of course as many couples seem to be marrying in white in Novgorod as are marrying in white in Petersburg, and i don't know if it is coincidence, but it seems as if everyone wants to get married, and the weddings look small. ONe wedding party I saw today at the Museum of Wooden Building (which, by the way, is a small village of original buildings, the church complete with a full set of bells and a bell ringer playing "tunes") included the bride and groom, a couple of women dressed up in folk dress who were blocking their way into the park and yelling at them, and some guy dressed up as a soldeier and yelling back...

Speaking of soldiers, don't tell Zoa, but I bought him three small soldiers, Russian soldiers, to add to his collection of green plastic soldiers. They are very cute, made of metal, and so quite heavy. Is he still playing with his soldiers? Oh, will somebody send me news of Zoa? I really miss him, and found myself watching children today, in Novgorod. I don't watch the children in Petersburg, as they seem to harsh, the lines on their faces already drawn too tightly.

Here it is, with only 5 minutes left in my time, and I haven't answered your emails or told you one thing about Friday, yesterday. I love getting your emails, and I'm positively hungry for them by the time I make it to an internet connection. I still haven't managed to get my computer going, so needless to say this blog thing is the only writing I'm doing, but oh mi gosh, I don't think I can write about all this in any meaningful way because every day is just so full of sights and images and impressions and I'm very "curious" about what the long view will look like.

I'm also amazed that I am only half way through this journey.