Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Bogolyubovo.
Russia's Golden Ring has nothing to do with jewelry by Faberge but it is equally as impressive and certainly ranks among the jewels in Russia's crown.
It is a circle of old Russian cities to the northeast of Moscow -- residences of the princes who ruled Rus -- the heartland of today's Russia.
The heyday of such famous medieval cities as Uglich, Yaroslavl, Plyos, Kostroma, Vladimir and Suzdal was between the 11th and 14th centuries, long before Moscow -- let alone St Petersburg -- became the capital.
Despite some rumors about bad roads and a lack of petrol, we decided to go there by car -- taking, however, some gas-cans with us to be on the safe side.
The roads were not particularly bad, but we quickly found out that the small ones near regional borders should be avoided. They either stop in the middle of nowhere or end up in a quagmire. We tried it once and got stuck in the mud. the tractor driver in the next village seemed to be accustomed to such problems and towed us out, charging us 50,000 roubles and a bottle of vodka.
The main roads are much better and petrol is always available. Having spent the first night in Tver, we set out for Uglich -- a quiet little town with a kremlin situated on the banks of the River Volga.
It was from here that the sad history of deportations to Siberia began. The first victim was surprisingly a bell which was accused of having struck when Boris Godunov killed Dimitry, son of Ivan the Terrible. So the bell's clapper was taken out and was sent to Siberia for 100 years.
Our next destination was Yaroslavl. Despite its 60,000 inhabitants, Yaroslavl is a cozy town with a lot of alleys and parks. Several 17th century churches with interesting frescoes and the merchant's townhouses near the beautiful embankment are the architectural signs of the city's wealthiest period, the 16th and 17th centuries, when it became the first port on the Volga.
Yaroslavl is also a good point of departure for excursions to some other cities in the Golden Ring. You can take a trip on the mythological River Volga by hydrofoil and go up to Nizhni-Novgorod, but we decided to get off at Plyos, where the 19th century landscape-painter Levitan spent some time.
Not much has changed in Plyos since then, judging by his paintings which hang in the small museum. A word of warning --take a lunchbox with you on excursions since the food in the village cafes isn't terribly appetizing.
On our way back to Yaroslavl, we stopped in Kostroma to have a look at the monastery of St Ipaty (bus No. 8, bus stop near Ploshchad Revolyutsii). At the monastery and the Trinity Cathedral with its beautiful golden domes, you can visit the old boyars' palace, where Mikhail Romanov lived before he was elected tsar, thus founding the Romanov dynasty.
Back in the city center, don't miss a stroll through the neo-classical trading arcades, before you get back to the river station.
Church of the Resurrection, Rostov-Veliky.
From Yaroslavl you can also easily make a day trip to Rostov Veliky, one of Russia's oldest cities. Try to enter the city from the South, the fairy-tale view of the kremlin with its many churches and defence towers is worth the detour.
For the best view of the inner and outer parts of the kremlin, climb up to the Resurrection gate-church with its interesting frescoes and walk out to the inner city wall. From there you can see the Cathedral of the Assumption and the belfry between the inner and outer walls. The French composer Berlioz traveled specially to Rostov to listen to the 13 famous bells.
If you are lucky you might be able to hear them ring in full peal on a Saturday or Sunday at 1pm.
In the inner part of the Kremlin, the church of Hodigitria with its rhombus design on the walls catches the visitor's eye. It looks like a church in a Harlequin outfit.
The jewel of the golden ring is Suzdal. This small town looks like a stage set for a fairy-tale. In the 13th century the town included 15 monasteries and 48 churches, of which only about a quarter remain -- which however is more than enough to impress the traveler.
Resurrection Church, Suzdal.
The unique mixture of nature and culture makes a visit to Suzdal an unforgettable event. The porches of the monasteries are open and invite you to stroll through their gardens, in the setting sun you see the golden crosses of a dozen churches shine. And you hardly hear any sound other than the humming of insects, chirruping of birds and the bleating of sheep. Yet we were told that it's even more impressive in winter.
If you feel like diving into the town's medieval atmosphere, try to get a room in one of the traditional wooden houses of the Intercession Convent (Pokrovsky Monastyr), beautifully situated in the Kamenka Valley.
They were originally constructed for nuns and several of them were used as places of exile for the unwanted wives of tsars, the most famous of them probably being the first wife of Peter the Great.
The rooms are more comfortable than you would expect from a nun's cell -- each has its own bathroom and WC, and a tiled stove. Even while lying on your bed, you can see the golden domes of the Intercession Cathedral in the center of the convent premises and the Refectory Church, which houses a cozy restaurant, serving good, homed-made Russian food.
From Suzdal you can make daytrips to Vladimir, Yiriyev-Polsky or Sergiyev Posad if you feel you want to see more convents and churches. Otherwise just relax in the peaceful surroundings of Suzdal.
Church in Suzdal.
If you decide to go your own way we can recommend the following hotels. In Tver: Hotel Volga, 1 Ulitsa Shelyabova, tel 38087/38100, cost 100,000 roubles per night. In Yaroslavl: Hotel Druzhba, 16 Ulitsa Sverdlova, tel 228-585; Hotel Volga, 12 Ulitsa Kirov; Hotel Yaroslavl, Ploshchad Volkova. In Rostov-Veliky, Pilgrim Hostel in the kremlin, basic double rooms 25-40,000 roubles. In Suzdal, Tourist Center, Ulitsa Korovniky, tel 21530, 20889 (double room), 100,000 roubles. Pokrovsky Monastyr, Ul Pokrovskaya, tel 20908, 110,000 roubles. In Vladimir contact Vladimir Travel Agency, 2 Ulitsa Muzyeynaya 2. Tel 24745/26190.