The World Beyond

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Today, for the first time, I was able to see what Russia looks like beyond Moscow. We all took a train to Sergieva Posad. On the way there we were able to see the Russian countryside for the first time. After only 20 minutes from Moscow, all we could see was forest. Huge birch forests with an occasional medow. Once in a while we would pass a small village. The villages would only have like 20 homes and only tiny dirt roads. I have never been to a country so undeveloped and with so few people.
On the train ride I met a really nice Russian woman and her son. We talked a little bit about life here and what life is like in America. Her son is learning English so he practiced a bit, but was too shy to say much.
Sergiev Posad was amazing. Russian orthodox believers consider Sergiev Posad to be the holiest place in Russia. There are huge golden onion domed churches and beautiful icons all over. 300 monks live at Sergiev Posad. They all wear long black coats that are tight around the chest and are long and flowing below the waist. They look like the could have stepped out of the Matrix.
We also were able to see the tombs of some Russian saints and a holy fountain. The place was built in the 1400s and has quite a history. Russians say that when Sergiev Posad was besiged by the Poles people died for lack of water. Then God showed them the location of an underground spring that would sustain them. Russians now flock to Sergiev Posad to fill water bottles full of the holy water. When they are sick they drink the water, believing that it will cure them.
We had lunch with the monks. It was a simple but good meal-borsch (beat soup), potatoes, cucumber salad, and some sort of meat.
On the way back we stopped and bought souveniers. Alex and Kiril bought "wolf" fur hats. When they showed them to our guide she said that the hats were probably made of dog fur instead.
After that Rennee and I wandered around a bit. We decided that we're going to start telling people that we are sisters, we look so much a like.
Now I'm back in Moscow at the internet cafe. No plans for tonight yet-but I'm thinking about going with a group of students to a club sometime. At orienation they said that it is fine to go to clubs, just drink very little at them. Russians normally only drink 1-2 drinks at clubs because the drinks there are so expensive. So Americans who get really drunk stand out a lot and bad things can happen.

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Photos

Monk
All the monks look like they are out of the Matrix

Eating Lunch
We ate lunch in the same room the monks eat

Dog fur hats
Alex and Kirill thought that they bought wolf fur hats until they found out that the hats were probably made out of dog fur.