On our way to Moscow from St. Petersburg we stopped off in a little town called Novgorod. This little town ended up being the old capital of Russia back in 1727. As we took a walking tour of the town we learned a lot of things about the different landmarks. The statue called the Millennium of Russia consists of important figures from the country's history. Another amazing landmark is the Saint Sophia Cathedral which was built between 1045 and 1050. This had to be one of the oldest churches iv'e ever step foot near. Another church we saw was that of St. Nicholas Cathedral which was also very old. There was walls that surrounded this area. Almost like a fort protecting the people who lived inside from outside influence. We learned about how the Nazi's came in and destroyed the place and most of the buildings were damaged by bombing's and other weapons. During WW2 the city was occupied by the German army. The Red army liberated the city on January 19th, 1944.
While walking a little further in the center of the Old Kremlin area we came across this huge Bell tower. Earlier in the tour we kept hearing loud obnoxious chimes and bell sounds echoing over the buildings structures and nearby trees. Finally the closer we got to it we realized where it was coming from. One of the bells weighs over 26 tonnes! This tower is actually apart of the Saint Sophia Cathedral. It is located right behind it to the right. You walk down this cobblestone street and it leads you to this incredible view of the river and the building towering from the ground. From there we decided to check out this river that the tour guide was talking about so much.
Between the beach and the Old Kremlin walls marks a black and gold coated fence that separates the external and internal world. Once you step outside from the interior your welcomed to this beautiful site of the Vishera River. There you see tons of people in their bathing suits relaxing on the sand and jumping in the water. Seemed like a place that Russian's from St. Petersburg or other areas would go for a day to relax and enjoy the sun. Our tour walked past it and we were on our way to the hotel to get ready for dinner. I knew at that moment that I was going to come back after dinner and check out this river. Not something you can say that you got a tan in Russia. Especially it being a place that goes below -15 degrees during the winter. It was just a matter of time, or a matter of a good russian harvest. Onion and Dill salad with a chicken like dish and ice-cream that tasted more buttery than creamy. There was a DJ playing a little organ very low. We all joked around asking him if he did Birthdays and Bar-Mitzvah's. Maybe i'll invite him to do my wedding. Probably not.
After dinner the temptation of that beautiful river standing just a half a mile from the hotels door step was hard to bear. Finally walking over the bridge that separates the Old Kremlin's wall to the other part of the town we saw a bunch of guys jumping off this platform. We decided that we wanted to try it out. Although I don't know how to dive I just plunged in the river without giving a shit. The river's current was very light and it drifted you towards the right. We kept doing it over and over again. After about 6 or 8 times we were over it and we were ready to check out the other side, where the beach filled with people. We put our stuff down on the sand and went into the swimming area. The water was perfect temperature. Especially with it being so humid and hot in Russia it was the luckiest thing to be able to take a swim. Good thing the river was very clean. I had my doubts about the water in Russia due to the Brown colored water spraying from my shower in St. Petersburg. I wasn't going to let myself walk out of the river looking like a fudge Popsicle. But to my surprise it was genuinely fine. After meeting up with a few people from the tour who decided to just sit out on the sand and watch the sunset we decided to challenge some Russian's in volleyball.
There was about 6 volleyball courts on the beach. Going up to 2 Russian guys playing against each other we tried as close as possible in Russian to ask them if we could play. They accepted and we were split in 2 teams. I happened to be with the guy that was a pro. I mean this guy was spiking balls like it was his day job. My friend Ramon on the other hand got this old guy who tried to keep up. Even though I would say he was a lot better than me. Since iv'e never really took a game of volleyball seriously. Learning from these guys was definitely something one of a kind. Having a guy in Russian trying to explain the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd steps up hitting the ball over the net. After a while 2 more guys got in the game and it was 3 on 3. Our team ended up winning and we felt it was time to head back to the hotel.
Novgorod, the once upon a time capital of Russia has a lot more to offer than just a title. Between its beautiful churches dating back to 1045 and it's river landscape it's a day trip delight to locals and history buffs. The statues and bells that label this city establish a reflection on the Russian people. Although the German Army took control of this place back in WW2 the Russians and the Red Army did not give up and retaliated for the control of the city. Just shows the fight and drive the Russian people have. Coming here for either a day on the River or a good look at Saint Sophia's Cathedral you wont be disappointed.
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