TelinFyodor

   Vologda is the main city in Vologda oblast, situated 400 kilometers from Moscow. I have been there for several times, and despite its poor condition I like it very much. Vologda is one of those places where many features of Russian culture have been preserved. It's good that in 2000s--a time of big prices for oil and a rise of the Russian economy--Vologda had no great influx of money. Therefore, beautiful historic buildings of Vologda were not demolished and replaced by ugly shopping malls and apartment blocks. So, Vologda is a place where the spirit of old Russia remains, however ruined its condition may be in some parts of the city.        This time I arrived there by train. When I travel by the train I like the night trains. You can spend the night sleeping and arrive at your destination in the morning, around sunrise. I wrote "sunrise" just formally, since actually Russia cannot boast of many sunny days during wintertime. Usually the sky has a ...

  Today I’m writing about industrial towns in the eastern side of the Moscow region. The largest are Noginsk (named Bogorodsk prior to the revolution), Pavlovsky Posad, and Orekhovo Zuevo.  Unfortunately, I have no photos of Noginsk right now, so I'll tell only about Pavlovsky Posad, Drezna and Orekhovo-Zuevo. I visit quite these places quite frequently, due to work, and cycling during the summer months. Old industrial towns always impressed me with their pre-revolution factory buildings, which are huge and strict-looking, like gothic cathedrals. Unfortunately, not many people consider such places worth visiting. In this post I'll try to show you that the old industrial districts are also very interesting places.    The first stop on my way is the town Pavlovsky Posad, which is 65 km. east of Moscow.    Near the turn-off to Pavlovsky Posad from Nosovicha Road, you see the Church of St. Ekaterina in the village of Rachmanovo. The church was built in 19...