Still reeling over the welcome reception and information from Kiverichi, we had to start our journey back to Moscow. The people of Kiverichi were so accepting of us and never before had we felt so much a part of a community we just met. The whole occasion was very overwhelming.
We knew the traffic would be busy on our return but nevertheless return we must and in doing so we also had an additional passenger for part of the journey. Alexander, the historian who helped Vladimir with some research needed a lift back and travelled with us for part of the journey. The conversations in the car were all in Russian but we just knew the topic was mostly about the Sysoev family. A stop for fuel, and then drop Alexander off and we were once again on the freeway to Moscow. The closer we got, the heavier the traffic. Interestingly, Moscow has a traffic jam rating system to help drivers negotiate the city. The maximum rating is something like 9.5 and today, one of the freeways we needed to take was 7.9 so it was virtually a parking lot. Google maps is a blessing here and successfully negotiated a way around it. Even so our return trip was going to be a long one. We left Kiverichi at around 2.30pm and finally arrived at Vladimir's house at sometime around 8.00 PM where Ella had prepared a beautiful traditional Russian meal again.
It is pretty easy to figure out the topic of conversation for the evening, and after a delicious meal we tried to get some sleep. The next day was our last free day in Moscow and we weren't about to waste it so we discussed options with Vladimir. We thought we might visit the tank museum, but when he told us about the Order of St George display at a Museum it was a given what we would do.
After a solid nights sleep we woke around 8.30 AM refreshed and ready to tackle Moscow again. We were going to the southern administrative district of Moscow to the
Kolomenskoye Museum Reserve. This is the grounds of the palace of Tsar Alexis I. The display was inside the former palace and our search for Ann's holy grail was on in earnest. The holy grail for her is the Order of St George Golden Sword, awarded to her Grandfather Ivan in 1915 for outstanding bravery.
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| The crown Pavilion |
Entering the grounds, our first sight was a huge pavilion in the shape of a crown made of hay. This was pretty impressive on its own but given the location and nearby buildings, it was a perfect addition. The palace itself is a huge wooden construction, and often houses exhibitions and displays, but we were here on a mission.
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| Tsar Alexis' Palace |
On entering the palace we were required to go through security and also put on overslippers on our shoes to protect the floors. We are used to all this now as it was mandatory in so many locations. Entering the display was very overwhelming. Several items from the inception of the order by Catherine the Great to modern day re-inception were on display. Before long the sword came into view. Not only was it a beautiful sword, but the first sword on display was era specific to when it was awarded to Ivan. Could this be his actual sword?
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| Order of St George Golden Sword. |
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| Order of St Anna on the hilt and Inscription 'For Bravery' |
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| The Order of St George on the Butt of the Handle |
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| Saint George |
The display was only small but very informative, with us finding out that as a recipient of the Order, Ivan was bestowed nobility and a Knight of the Order of St George.
We left the display and went for a walk around the 390 ha site. Walking through an ancient apple orchard, we came across the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist.
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| Church of the Beheaded John the Baptist |
The church grounds revealed an ancient cemetery with some headstones dating back to late 1700's. There was an unusual amount of children's graves as well, making one wonder how they all died.
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| Gates to the Church |
From there we walked through some more of the park and came across one of the oldest structures on the reserve, the Ascention church, built in 1532 to commemorate the birth of an heir to the throne. This heir was later known to be Ivan the Terrible. The view of the church against the modern skyline of Moscow highlights the changes in architecture over the centuries.
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| Church of the Ascention on the Moscow Skyline |
It was time for a rest and refreshment and we came across a group of vendors where we had a warmed Russian honey drink. It was similar to a mead and was just what we needed.
We walked some more and got a little lost, or should I say temporarily misplaced. Eventually we found the horse yards and working blacksmith. Naturally I was very interested in the smithy and was amazed at the work of this true artist.
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| Blacksmith at work |
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| A sample of the blacksmiths work |
The stable complex for the horses was very imposing and the
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Inside the Coach House.
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carriages and sleighs in the coach room were beautifully detailed and maintained.
Time seemed to be getting away from us and we had to return to Vladimirs home as Ella was preparing another traditional Russian meal for us.
This was our last night in Russia and and Vladimir showed us how to prepare tea in a russian samovar. Inside Ella had made different types of Blini and some cheese pancakes.
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| Farewell Dinner with Vladimir and Ella |
These were all delicious and as we sat and ate, we reflected on our time in Russia, but in particular our time with Vladimir and his family. It was sad knowing this was the last we would see them for some time but hoped they would take up our invitation to visit Australia. Vladimir would be going to work early the next morning, so we had to say our goodbye before we went to bed.
The next morning we needed at least 2 hours to get to the airport so most of the day was already accounted for. We still needed to pack ready for the return flights and get some sleep, as the likelyhood of sleep in the next 48 hours was limited.
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