Excursion to Vladimir and Suzdal

Saturday 25th June - Vladimir

	At 11:22 we had stopped for a short break on our way to Vladimir. The place at which we stopped was a small town whose principle industry seemed to be catering for busses stopping for short breaks on their way to Vladimir...

We made it to our hotel, but it was a close call. It was not a good sign when the driver started fiddling with the engine as soon as we pulled up at our earlier stop, but as we continued the journey we all became aware that the bus was travelling slower and slower, and despite the hot weather outside, the driver seemed not only to have the air conditioning turned off, but also seemed to have the heating turned all the way up. The engine was obviously overheating badly, and disipating heat into the cabin. But we managed to limp the rest of the way to our hotel, avoiding an unwanted sojourn by the side of the road or lengthy walk. The hotel was the golden ring, and this picture was taken from one of their brochures.

	This is a picture of the decorative foyer we encountered on entering the hotel, where we queued to check in and get our room keys. This picture was also taken from the hotel brochure I picked up from the front desk, as there were too many tourists milling about at the time to get a good picture..

First thing on the agenda after checking into the hotel was lunch, which was scheduled for 13:00-14:00. Howver our late arrival had delayed things a little, and at 14:10 we were just finishing the first course, and some attention had been drawn to a rather striking Soviet style statue that adorned our end of the dining room...

	Greg evidently thought that the curiously well endowed statue was worth a picture..

As apparently did Ulf. I settled for the more subtle strategy of photographing the photographers..

	It was now time to begin our tour of Valdimir. This was the handy map that was printed on the back of our hotel guest cards. Our hotel is in the red circle between the points marked 10 and 11 on the map.

Cathedral of St Dmitri and Assumption Cathedral

At 14:11 we were just were at our first sightseeing destination, and had just alighted that bus. St Dmitry's Cathedral is visible in the background.

	Behind Dmitry's Cathedral was the same little scenic picnic spot that I had visited the previous summer. On that occasion I had reached it via a footpath leading up from the station.

Our guide (whom we had collected on the way from the Hotel) giving some background information on the carvings on the walls of St Dmitry's Cathedral.

	Our guide then leads us along the road from St Dmitry's to the nearby Assumption Cathedral at 15:34.

After climbing some stairs the cathedral is at the end of the path ahead of us.

	A view looking back at the cathedral along the way I had come.

Another look at the scenery, this time from behind the Assumption Cathedral.

	The door by which we had entered in the side of the building, just before making our departure at 16:02.

Golden Gate

Next stop, at 16:23, was the Golden Gate (Zolotye Vorota). This was a defensive tower built by Andrey Bogolyubov to defend the western entrance to the city. It now houses a museum of Vladimir's military history.

	At 16:58 I had emerged from the museum and evidently found a source of moroshenoe (ice cream).

At 17:02, Ulf heading up the small hill beside the gate which was originally part of the earthen rampart protecting the city..

Bogolyubovo - Palace and Monastery

	About 30 minutes later, at 17:34, we arrive at the Palace and Monastery at Bogolyubovo. This picture shows Andrey's tower and arch, and the adjoining Church of the Virgin's Nativity.

The 1841 bell tower beside the road is one of the monastery's more dominant buildings.

	Inside the Church of the Virgins Nativity, which adjoins Andrey's arch. A small window in the wall of the room in the arch looks out into this church.

Amid the buildings of the 18th century monastery, the tower and arch have survived from Andrey's original Palace. Andrey was said to have been assassinated on the stairs of this tower by hostile boyars, and event is depicted on the walls of the room inside the arch. Unfortunately the little room was much to crowded with people for me to get any decent pictures of the walls.

	This building seems to be one of the inhabited residences. I was a little confused initially as to weather this complex was a monastery as my guide book indicated, or a convent as the gender of the inhabitants suggested. Mikhail later explained to me that in Russian the word monastyr is used regardless of whether the inhabitants are monks or nuns.

The domes of the other dominant feature of the monastery, its 1866 Assumption Cathedral (Uspensky sobor).

Bogolyubovo - Church of the Intercession on the Nerl

	Our next destination was within walking distance of the monastery, so at 18:03 we had emerged from the gate we had entered, and were following the dirt road around to the left on our way to the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.

We passed this group of goats wandering along the road in the other direction, and they seemed not at all sure that we should be using their road.

	There were plenty of these colourfully bohemian looking houses along the side of the road..

Glancing back at 18:06 at the Palace and Monastery that we have just left.

At this point we came to the end of the dirt road and had to cross the railway line. The rest of the route to the church (about 1.25 km) was by only foot, and there were no more houses along the route, which added a welcome feeling of peace and seclusion to the location. There was a horse and carriage available for anyone that really couldn't or didn't want to walk, but thankfully there were no motor vehicles in the area.

At 18:31 just across the Nerl from the Church of the Intercession. There were many people swimming in the water here, a practice which is apparently encouraged as the waters are believed to have some form of healing properties, and it was also quite hot. Ulf was the only member of our group who gave it a try.

	Legend has it that Andey Bogolyubov had the church built in memory of his favourite son, Izyaslav, who was killed in the battle against the Bulgars.

At 18:55, A last look at the Palace and Monastery across the field we had just traversed as we make our way back to the bus for the trip back to the hotel.

Saturday night - the hotel nightclub

	At 00:22 we were in the nightclub..

at 00:24, we had found an unoccupied cozy little private area in the corner of the room, which we took over for the evening.. This is Greg, Jennie, Natasha, Starla and myself in our area.

	Same picture again, with my having taken over the camera so that Ulf can appear..

I think this is Ulf and Natacha, taken at 01:44, just before they decided to retire. Greg and I, who I think were the last of our group to leave, retired somewhere around 3:00am.

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