While Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue . . .

Birch trees reflecting off the water

After leaving Mandrogi (where, you'll recall, we went a day early instead of going to Kizhi on northern Lake Onedoga because it was still ice-covered!), we sailed until 11 p.m. and docked in Kuzino on The White Lake (Beloye).   All along the way we saw almost nothing but trees, trees, and more trees.  In particular, the forest was heavily laden with beautiful white birch trees which turn out to be a mainstay for the timber industry of this part of Russia along with pine, elder, and willow.

During the 17th. century, White Lake was the fishing grounds of the czars, with boats patrolling the waters and enforing high taxes on the subjects and their catches.   Attempts at engineering water flow in the19th. century proved disastrous and widespread flooding occurred, eliminating a circular shoreline that had formed over thousands of years.   Today, an ecology center in Belozersk is established to monitor and repair the damage.

The town of Belozersk is one of the oldest in Russia.   The relative desolation of it (and we were clearly in the middle of nowhere) in early times attracted monks looking for solitude.  Finding it here, they established a large number of monasteries, including one we'd visit later - the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery which contains buildings rated among the best-preserved Russian sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Ray Urban, Viking prince (r) and his faithful bodyguard,
J.D. Mace (l) wearing 32 pound chain mail

Our first stop, though, was the recreation of an 11th. century Viking fort built on the banks.   The tall, handsome Russian acting as the host told the story of the Vikings who were the first settle in this area.  He indicated he needed help to illustrate the typical life of a prince and princess of that time.   Of course he selected Ray to be the prince, and dressed him in the garb of the day. 

And, that led, of course, to selecting Mary Lee as the princess and a similar fate awaited her.   And, as expected, that led to her selecting me as the prince's bodyguard and another man as her bodyguard (Cheryl begged off citing her role as the official court photographer).  All of this resulted in a big laugh for the group, but I can tell you that 32 pound chain mail is darned heavy, and the helmet I wore had some kind of bolt that seemed to go right into my forehead!  Ah, the price one pays to be the bodyguard of Prince Ray!

A young Russian girl recites a poem in English to the audience
against a backdrop commerating VE day from the prior day

From here, we boarded buses for a Sunday drive of about 11 miles on paved but incredibly bumpy roads to the town of Kirillo where we were treated to an overview of the local school in the town of 8,000.   Children were recruited to help portray roles of a typical student and were quite charming.   We saw the facility (built in 1974) and its various rooms, and tributes to former students (one who died in "the Chechnyan War") and sports trophies. 

And, as before on this trip, I was struck by how much things here, albeit on a lesser scale of wealth and opulence, are just about identical to the way it is in America.  The kids had a typical cloak room, their art projects included some with drawings of kids sleeping on desks (boredom), and those present were obviously proud of their school.   The teachers beamed.  As Sting sang "The Russians Love Their Children, Too!".

The visit concluded with a young girl (about 12) reciting a poem in English - absolutely charming - and a young man playing the accordion.   We were only too happy to put a $20 bill (600 rubles) in the jar labeled "Donations for School Development", the only sign in the entire building in English.

The main entrance to the courtyard
of Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery

Our final stop before lunch was the main monastery complex, the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, founded in 1397 by St. Cyril.  It featured a large number (20+) of churches built over time through the generous donations of centuries of Romanov czars (perhaps they were feeling guilty with their vast wealth while the serfs labored on their behalf!). 

Although we weren't allowed to photograph inside the museum buildings, their contents were true treasures and stunningly beautiful.  Many of them were produced at the end of the 15th. century . .  . .about the time that Columbus was sailing the "ocean blue".   These included magnificent religious icons, and doors with fabulous veneers made of pure silver . .  . there was certainly a lot happening over here in Russia while Columbus was traversed the Atlantic toward America.

We headed back to the boat for a 1 p.m. departure, and just had to stop in the souvenir shops that are springing up at the dock.  I give these people great credit for trying to expand their livelihoods beyond forestry and timber production, and can see where sites like this in 10 or 20 years will be overrun with tourists.  I'm glad we were here before that occurs (as it stirs fond memories of being in Beijing in 1998 when the roads were choked with bicycles instead of cars as today).

A 1 p.m. departure from the docks and we are headed toward Yaroslavl for Day 8.   Yarosolavl is a Golden Ring city that figured prominently in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church, and is considered one of the most picturesque in Russia.  My mother, herself a Greek Orthodox before converting to Methodism because it was the only game in town in tiny Clarksburg, Ohio, is smiling down on us at our exposure to this ancient and beautiful religion.