Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl, Monday May 24th, 2010.

A tour of the Kremlin is almost compulsory in Moscow. Apart from the President's Offices and other Government buildings, there are several churches and museums. We visited the armoury museum and the cathedral of the Assumption. The former houses all sorts of treasures including 10 of the Faberge Easter Eggs, massive English table silver from the 16th and 17th C, a beautifully carved ivory throne - a gift from Shah Abbas and a collection of 18th C carriages ornately carved and decorated.

In the evening I went to the Moscow Circus. It has a full live orchestra and a large performing troupe with gorgeous costumes and plenty of animal acts. I particularly liked the clown magician with rabbits and a fox in the proverbial hat, which he topped with a living fur coat - it disintegrated into live ferrets which ran in all directions.

I guess I am not alone in being unfamiliar with Russian paintings, but the Tretyakov gallery has some fantastic paintings. I was intrigued to find a large collection of small paintings painted about the same time as the Melbourne 9 x 5 cigar box paintings.

Before we left Moscow we found a Supermarket, which had everything we might want to buy in Melbourne, but we limited ourselves to beer and vodka.

Today we sailed to Uglich, via the Moscow Canal and the Volga and 7 locks. In Uglich we had dinner with a family. The niece had spent last year in Texas on exchange - how the world changes!

Cathedral Square in the Kremlin, Moscow

The Czar's 200 ton bell

Moscow Circus - children are not limited to patting poodles and ponies!

Marriage tree - you put a padlock and throw the key in the river

Along the Moscow Canal

Church of Dimitry of the Blood, Uglich