Started my golden ring traveling! Suzdal

I have never traveled to any place of Golden ring even I had chance many times to. I am sure, many travelers visiting Moscow, would like some " shocking" experience of another Russia, than you see in Moscow... Golden ring would be the best thing to start from.. (too shocking to go to Siberia, or regular town in Russia without a specific preparation)..



So, the best option to travel to we figured would be Vladimir and Suzdal - 2-3 hours on the train or bus, and you there! completely new place! You can find orthodox churches in Moscow, birch trees in Moscow... But you would have to drive around, take some locals to show you.. and can't just walk around during the day visiting place after place, church after church. Moscow is Europe, at some point.. But not really. It is A BIG CITY. You can't take the taxi ride and ask the driver to take you to try some authentic russian food. It is just too much of the choice... (By the way if no chance to visit Suzdal - you may try "Shinok" or "Korchma" in Moscow.. Even though it is Ukrainian).

Vladimir. There are several hotels over there, but as far as for me.. Vladimir is bigger town, and the cultural spirit is messed up with regular life style..dirt, trolleys, grocery stores... We could not find a nice place for lunch there, and had to end up eating in the plaza or mall... Not really traveling style, right?  But there is a church I liked a lot - "Uspenskiy sobor". It was built almost a thousand years ago...Impressive? In here first russian scripts were held,  famous pieces of art still present (icons by Andrey Rublev)... Some of you don't know but there was a time, before Moscow took over, when this region was the leading one in terms of politics. (14th century).. Dmitry Donskoy, Alexandr Nevskiy - great russian leaders were from here, were reined in this church.

Uspenskiy sobor in Vladimir

Uspenskiy sobor in Vladimir

The church is built on the hill and it is very peaceful to walk around, sit and look at the landscapes... uhhh, remember school history class...
If you have some time in Vladimir, walk around the Golden gates, and go for the uphill view of the city and visit local museum. If you lucky enough and get the guide, you may find out a lot of interesting facts, and imagine how people lived in Russia in little town in 18-19 or 20 century.. I was sort of shocked when read about the level of education only a century ago, or people life views, reforms of how to decrease alcoholism in the town, or ads by regular citizens...

Take a bus to Suzdal. Buses go every half an hour until 7 PM, so make sure, if you come in the morning you are gone by this time to Suzdal, as I believe Suzdal is better place for both nice evening walks or dinner.
Suzdal is real: everything the square, farmers sell on the square: mushrooms, honey, fresh vegetables. Try "medovuha", please, it is like apple cider, but better and russian..Its made of honey and it is something what people back in a day drank. (vodka did not exist always here in my country). I felt being in 13-14 century when I walked around the stalls...

Stalls on the main square in Suzdal

Architecture is great but the true deep feeling you will have only if you grew up here, took the history class, and you know little details that the walls must be white, houses made of wood, window panes carved, and domes are of different colors... It is a lot of history buried here, but more than that spirit of old ancient country.

Suzdal, church in Kremlin

Have a lunch, but better if it would be dinner in "Trapeznaya", in Kremlin.. Have you ever expected to try delicious meal... Caviar, stuffed pike, herring... Trust me, Suzdal is not the place they pretend to make pancakes (they made real "bliny" for us, change the menu for european food... No they do that as it needs to be done.. You may even order little piggy! stuffed. It reminded me old movie... Everything in Kremlin in Suzdal reminded me of this movie. Even if I know that it was shot in Moscow.
Party for Tsar

and wow Dinner for Tsar

In Suzdal there are 33 churches at the moment, even the population of the town is less than 10 thousand... Every church has its own spirit, you will feel like you dive in "fairy tail".

Lazarevskaya church in Suzdal

Rizopolojenskiy monastry

But the best about Suzdal is landscape! Birches, spring smell of fresh grass, soil!!!

Landscape in Suzdal

I find this photo spiritual and myself - true photographer.

And finally, something you would be really impressed to see. I wrote about Petrozavodsk and Kizhi in some post before... So, this is wooden village. The museum of old russian village.. You will see the yards, average family income houses, you can dress russian dresses and sit down in front bench...peaceful, lovely...different.
The entire church, houses, mills and even roof and domes were made of wood...

Wooden church in Suzdal

Fore more pictures visit  my facebook album Visiting Suzdal