Suzdal is in the Golden Ring, a series of towns that were part of Rus and all seperate Khanate's till they were taken over by Moscow. This is where the rich and famous used to come to play and of course everyone had to have their own church. This is a small sleepy backwater but there are about 30 churches here. I will show you some of the better ones over the next couple of days. This morning I went to the Kremlin to have a look but they wanted 350r for a combined ticket. I told them to shove it and will have to go back in a couple of days and jump on the back of a tour party. The walls are impressive but there are a lot of museums inside that I am not interested in.

The rain cleared up for a while this arvo but it was still freezing cold. I went for a walk and got some more pics. There is heaps more to come. Just as I was walking home it started to rain again. I have carried my Vietnam poncho for just this day, I got home nice and dry.

I got up this morning and it is a beautiful sunny morning and 10deg outside.I went out in shorts and T shirt. I walked all around town and got some more pics, then went out of town for a banya. Banya here is a social experience but I did mine alone. It is like a sauna, the banya is 100deg and you sit in there as long as you can then you go and roll in snow, or in my case jump in a river that is 5deg. It certainly takes your breath away. The Russians then sit in a kind of lounge room and have tea and scones then do it again, and keep doing it for a couple of hours. For me I just relax for a while then do it again. The Russians also hit each other with birch branches, I also skipped that part. I did enjoy the hour cos it was warm. I might do it again when I get to St Petersburg. I have been walking around all day freezing and regretting not taking my jacket this morning.

This arvo I crossed the river to see one of the biggest convents here. I was gonna use it as a blueprint for something is Aus. This is where the Tzars used to send the ex wives and any wife past their use by date to get them out of Moscow. I recon we could use something like this in Australia. It is still a working convent so is pretty well kept. On the way home I stopped for dinner. I had fish, it was very nice, and one of the few times I have actually known what I am eating. Stopped at the supermarket for a couple of king browns. They cost 56.2 rubles and I managed to count out the coins and knew she had to give me back 3 kopeks. I am getting used to the coins. Up until now when I got a pocket full I used to pull out a handfull and let them have a go at any of them. They are worthless to me so a bottle of water for coins is virtually free.
Tomorrow I am on the bus to Moscow. I am intending to stay at Godzillas and will be there for about 4 or 5 days then overnight train to St Petersburg for 3 or 4 days.