From Russia with Love

It’s been a good day! The weather was supposed to be sunny and a little cooler; turns out it was a little cooler with no sun. It was in the mid 20s today, I think. The last couple of days it has been in the low 30s. Thanks to Michelle’s hand knitted wool hat my head is staying warm!

Today after breakfast I made my way to the Metro. Wow! Monday morning commute is a little different than Saturday and Sunday traffic. Think “sardines.” Today I decided to visit the Andrei Rublev Museum at St. Andronik Monastery. I made my way there by Metro, followed by about a half mile walk. It was really neat – the walk and being there.

The Savior Cathedral was awesome. It is so old! The monastery was established in 1357, and the building was built in the 1420s. Rublev lived part of his life here, and it was where he died. The building had such a rich feel to it. There were candles burning, and the iconstasis was simply beautiful. A couple of Orthodox people came in and prayed, adding a candle to the several already burning.

I bought a miniature Holy Trinity icon for 20 Rubles, which is less than a dollar. What a bargain for such a precious on-going memory!

I have a cold, which is not good, but life goes on... I did get a little tired today, so I simply went back to Red Square for a little while to soak up a little more Russian culture. It really is amazing to stand there and think about history. I would have liked to visit the Kremlin and a few other things, but I did what I came to do. No regrets.

Tomorrow I travel to Athens, Greece; I’ll stay there about a week. This will be the most relaxing part of the trip. I have no particular agenda that dictates a schedule. I know some of you will find this had to believe but I am looking forward to some spontaneity!

Oh one more thing about being here. I guess I look like a Russian. I was trying really hard to blend in. I think it worked. No one stared at me, and today a couple of people stopped me (the one who cannot need read or speak Russian) and asked me questions. I don’t know what they asked, but they were shocked when I opened my mouth! It must be the hat.

I’ll try to post again from Athens in about 24 hours...

Here are a few pictures for you from my day.