Vladmir
It’s time to talk about Vladimir and Suzdal. Only a few of us went on this trip, so it was Alexa, Bailey, Jen, Jordan, Logan, Paul, and I. We met early at the metro and headed to the bus station. Gulya told us to catch a bus to Vladimir. Here’s how it works, you just go to the bus depot, then look for the line of people, and hop on the bus and pray that it all works out. Once the bus fills up, the bus leaves and a new one comes an hour later. It’s a weird system, but this is Russia, so really, I’m not surprised anymore.
We got there as the bus was leaving, so we flagged it down, and the bus driver let us on. Each one of us was stuck sitting next to a strange person, but that’s not important. I slept the whole way there, and luckily I didn’t get robbed…again. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention this here, but my iPhone was recently stolen. Super fun!
We arrived in Vladimir around 11:00 a.m. and it was freezing. As soon as I stepped off the bus, I feared for how the rest of the day would go. As suspected, it was bitter cold all day.
Upon arriving, we were all starving, so we went on a food hunt. We found a little blini (crepe) place, which was great. The blini wasn’t incredible, but it was filling, and that’s what we needed. The place was a little chilly, as there were holes in the windows (thanks, Russia!), but it was a little bit of shelter from the bitter cold.
Once our bellies were filled with blini, we began wandering the city. There really wasn’t too much to see. There were some cool cathedrals, but that was about it. The best part of the town was the frost everywhere. A light dusting of frost and snow covered the trees and buildings, transforming the town into a winter wonderland. I honestly felt like I was looking at a Christmas card.
The group sought out refuge in what we thought to be a cathedral. As it turned out, it was the Vladimir Planetarium. It was free of charge, and rightfully so. There were about five exhibits in the building- all of which looked like a middle school science fair project. We wandered the room, pretending to be interested in the exhibits, but really just soaking in the heat for as long as possible. After a while, the planetarium owners began putting chairs out in the middle of the room. We honestly feared they would put on a performance for us, so we vacated the premises immediately.
Suzdal
After a while, it was time to take a bus to Suzdal. We climbed aboard a hippie van and embarked upon the hour-long journey to the next city. The bus was freezing. There were cracks and holes in all the windows. Still, despite the cold, we all slept the whole way there. The bus driver woke us up and asked us for more money. We were all cold and confused, but discovered that we had arrived in Suzdal, and needed to get off the bus or pay more money.
Gulya had told us that the bus station was just a short walk away from our hostel, but we had no idea what direction to travel. After some effort, we figured it out and started walking there. The group trudged down a muddy, unlit pathway toward our destination. I was more than a little concerned that we would get mugged on this trail. Keep in mind that it’s freezing and pitch black outside.
The Part Where Things Get Weird
Yes, they haven’t gotten weird yet.
Okay, so our hostel was in a monastery, which to some, would seem weird, but we’ve stayed in far weirder places since coming to Russia. Gulya gave us a few phone numbers and said, “Call this number and ask for Michaiel or Rafael. They may not answer, but they will find you.” We got there and tried calling these mysterious monks, and of course, none of them answered. A lady walked by and asked what we were looking for, so we explained that we were waiting for our monk to show up, and she said, “Rafael is standing over there,” and gestured across the courtyard. We walked across the property to find no monks in sight. At this point, we were all shivering uncontrollably. We tried calling again and were greeted by the sound of dial-up Internet, a sound I hadn’t heard since the ’90s. We were all thinking, of course, Michaiel would be online, chatting with other monks or streaming some exotic videos or something.
This is the point when we all started getting delirious from the cold. We were losing faith in the monks and started coming up with an emergency plan. The consensus was that if things got desperate, we would zip all of our jackets together and make a giant blanket. After that, we would have to strip down and use each other’s body heat in order to survive. It would be completely innocent, but it would be necessary in order to avoid dying. We all started laughing uncontrollably, imagining the monks emerging from their cells and seeing a group of nude Americans, shivering on the lawn of the monastery, wrapped in a pile of coats.
Luckily, we did not have to reach those desperate measures. Our monk arrived and took us to our cells. Yes, cells. They didn’t look like jail cells, as I had imagined, but actually looked like a log cabin. The rooms were decorated in Orthodox icons. Mother Mary watched all of us sleep.
There were monks who lived across the hall from us. It was really bizarre because the monks would get up at random hours and go out for a walk, then return an hour later, and go back to bed. I didn’t understand that, but that’s okay.
The next morning, we explored Suzdal. I love that town. The group immediately went on a food search. We found another blini place, but this one was infinitely better. I loved it. The whole place had an amazing Russian ambiance. The blini tasted great too. They were slightly denser than the ones I’ve had throughout my duration in Russia.
After eating, we checked out the cute little stands with handmade wares. I bought two pairs of wool socks, and I love them.
We wandered around the city and took in the sights. The people in the city were pleasant, and the streets were quiet. It was also warmer in Suzdal, than it was in Vladimir. I loved Suzdal.
We didn’t spend much time in Suzdal, but it was wonderful. We returned to Vladimir that afternoon. Things got very Russian when we returned. Upon arriving in Vladimir, we had to purchase tickets to return to Moscow. The cashier told us that we don’t buy tickets in the station, and that we just walk out to the bus and pay for it once we board the bus. The seven of us sat in the bus station, awaiting the Moscow bus’ arrival.
Once the bus pulled into the station, we walked out, and the bus driver told us that we had to buy tickets. We ran into the station, and the cashier told us that she wouldn’t sell us tickets. After receiving that news, we rushed out to the bus, and begged the driver to let us onto the bus. He declined us, as well as several Russians, and then left the station.
Another Moscow bus pulled in shortly after. We immediately begged the bus driver to help us. This guy was actually helpful and went inside and asked the cashiers for help. He returned to us, confused at the whole situation. Our group surrounded the bus driver, begging him to take us back to Moscow.
Jordan communicated to the driver in Russian, and told the driver, “Our money is your money.” The driver looked around, and saw seven doe-eyed Americans, begging for help. The driver gestured for Jordan to come with him to the bus. Alexa followed closely behind, since she had all of the money. The driver immediately ushered her away, so obviously, we were all very concerned as to what was about to happen.
Jordan returned to our group and said that the driver told him that we needed to stand around the corner, and he would drive over and pick us up in 15 minutes. This was an under the table transaction, so we were pretty excited and leery of the situation. 20 minutes passed, and the driver was nowhere to be seen. Finally, he pulled out of the station. As he turned the corner in the opposite direction of us, he looked at us, and drove away. The driver had a change of heart, and abandoned us. Luckily, we were smart enough to not give him any money before getting on the bus.
After a while of being disappointed in humanity, we finally found the bus we needed. We boarded the bus without any issues and returned to Moscow. The best part is that we stopped at a rest stop, and saw the bus driver who had abandoned us. Don’t worry, we all glared at him as we walked by.
Once we all returned home, we all passed out from the exhaustion of traveling. I’m so glad we made it home. For a while there, I wasn’t so sure we would make it.
All my love,
Madison
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