Day 9: Pereslavl-Zalessky

Another grey day. According to the long term forecast it was supposed to be hot and sunny everyday but all we are seeing is a grey sky and rain.

We drove to Pereslavl which is on the Southeastern side of Lake Pleshcheyevo.  It was here that Peter the Great in 1688-93 built his 'Fancy fleet' on the lake for his own amusement. This would be the forerunner of the Russian fleet.  In the old town square there were four churches.

Our local guide, Olga, was late arriving. A small elderly lady with a smiley face. She spoke English so Svetlana, our tour guide, didn't need to translate. However, Olga was a bit of a rambler and flitted from one subject to another and I had no idea what she was talking about. Svetlana tried to hurry her along and we travelled in the bus from place to place.

A short drive away was yet another church and convent. The number of churches in this small town is astounding. Apparently that is only 30% of the original number that existed prior to the Soviet era.

To enter this church we had to cover our heads and legs.

I took one photo before being told photography inside was not allowed.

The last place which was by the lake, was the most interesting as it was a boat built by Peter the Great.

Dating rom the end of the 17th cent, this is the only surviving boat from the whole of 'Peter's Fancy Fleet'.  Made from oak and pine. It was 7.34m long and 2.38m wide.

Eventually we had lunch at 3.15! I ordered a goulash which was very good. I have been impressed with the food which has all been very tasty. Svetlana ordered us some honey mead to taste. A sweet, slightly sparkling drink. It was alright but I wouldn't order one for myself.

After lunch we were driven to our accommodation for the night. We were staying in wooden lodges. Three to a lodge. Each lodge was divided into two houses each with two bedrooms.They looked very new.  It was a pity the weather was so poor. We were not far from the lake so I decided to go for a walk and have a look, but the younger ones were hiring bikes,  so I decided to join them.

It didn't take that long to get down to the lake but it wasn't possible to cycle around the lake so we headed off in another direction. 

It  started raining again.  In the end I decided to turn back as  I didn't want to ride on main roads - also I couldn't see very well with rain on my glasses! 

It was nice cycling at my very leisurely pace.






It was then that I realised I hadn't brought the  name of where we were staying with me. I wasn't too sure of the way back and not knowing a word of Russian wasn't very helpful.

I did make a couple of wrong turns but luckily I did get back without mishap. I was annoyed with myself for ignoring such a basic rule of travelling by not having the name and address of where I was staying written in the language of the country I am visiting.

I was back in time to just quickly clean up before going for a meal. It was supposed to be a BBQ but instead we ate in a large marquee as it was still pouring down.

 For once all the food was ready at the same time and we enjoyed a fabulous group meal consisting of grilled chicken, beef, pork accompanied by grilled vegetables, salad and bread. Excellent quality.
Afterwards ten of us went for a Russian sauna which was on the same complex. The sauna was very hot indeed and I could only manage a few minutes at a time. There was also a barrel of icy cold water for you to plunge into( which I didn't)  as well as showers and a jacuzzi. . Branches of birch were available in the sauna for  gently beating the skin. Felt very relaxed by the end of the session and enjoyed a good night's sleep.