This is the picture of our lodging at the Art Hotel Nikolaevsky, Posad. Looking closely on the left the building with three green roof tops is where we stayed in a lovely suite. The red roofed building with the blue roof was reception-dining-bars- and hotel rooms.
Never leaving the grounds, a guest would have swimming pools, three different restaurants, a church, and sports fields.
This picture of the Kuysechesky offers traditional cuisine in an aged but beautiful surroundings. It was difficult for me to walk to the main restaurant and this one was nearby. The weather was cold and raining (Mid October) so not surprising that we were the only dinners there. The food was prepared in a Russian coal stove and wonderful!
The next night, the same weather, we hit the tavern, “Opokhmelachnay”. Located in the former house of gardener Sheryshev, built in 1760. No picture for this restaurant.
“The Winter Garden” This building was right across from our balcony but it was not open to the public, most likely due to the weather. Otherwise, it would have been delightful to see the sun set and have an overview of the moon and the stars and the Suzdal fields called, “Opolie”.
Each day our driver, Vitaly, came to pick us up in the morning. The first stop was a castle and completely walled in, “The Savor Monastery of Saint Euthymius”
Suzdal served as a royal capital when Moscow was a cluster of cow sheds. The monastery was founded in the 14th century and grew mighty in the 1600th through the 1700th century. While Mike went to see the inside, I remained in the car, safe from the rain and the cold, and just read about it.
Following that, we went to see the museum of wooden architecture and peasant life.
This picture shows the rural outdoor living of the people. The large first structure on the right was a necessity for the water wheel. The two buildings behind are used to give tours to show the lifestyle and building types of that era.
In 1864 the Trans-Siberian-railway went through Vladimir 35 kilometers away and Suzdal was by-passed not only by trains but by the 20th century.
Thus it remains the same today as it was 200 years ago. If you want to walk back in time this would be the place to go!
The next blog will be dealing with the first wine tasting festival in this area of Russia, our (Mike’s) main reason for visiting!
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