Day #21: Nizhny Novgorod

---

Today was one of those days where things didn't really go our way. Our big plan for the day was to visit Gorodets by ferry, a trip that particularly appealed to us because of being so enamoured with the Volga, as well as the novelty value of a sail, something we haven't done in Russia yet. But when we got to the station, no ferries (don't start until May, apparently). We then decided to take the cable car across the Volga, but after an hour's walk uphill to the terminus, were faced with a closed sign and several disgruntled-looking Russians complaining it wasn't working (for what reason, we never discovered).

Feeling defeated, we returned to the Kremlin, and ended up making an unplanned visit to the State Art Museum. Expectations were low but the gallery turned out to be well eorth visiting, particularly for the collection of 20th century Russian art. It was interesting to note that even at the height of the revolutionary period, plenty of artists remained concerned with representations of traditional subjects - no shortage of sunny rural landscapes and pretty young women.

---