Sergiev Possad

Sergiev Possad was our destination today. And, yes, it's on the list. (for those of you unfamilar with the list, it's the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Sites on 'the list' are selected because they are culturally or naturally significant to the world.) Sergiev Possad was built in 1345 that St. Sergius founded as a monastery. There are a multitude of buildings. One was built by Ivan the Terrible (he really got around) to commemorate the capture of Kazan. Peter the Great took refuge here during the uprisings against him. He loved to hunt duck and would do so from one of the towers which now has a carved duck atop it.

We were picked up by our driver and friend, Alexei, at 11 a.m. The traffic from Moscow was horrible, a result of thousands trying to get to a weekend at the Dachas (the country). Apparently, many Moscovites yearn to be weekend peasants (according to Alex). The traffic was beyond awful. As we first took off we saw a man in a wheelchair in traffic begging for money. If you've seen Moscow traffic, this doesn't sound like a good idea. Once behind the wheel of a car, it is unlikely that they would slow down for anyone. Alex explained that he must work for the gypsy mafia. Hmm ... I didn't know that the gypsies had a mafia. I asked if the gypsy mafia had broken his legs to put him in the chair. Apparently they don't have to use these means. They simply seek out these wheelchair bound people and use them to collect money on the streets. Interesting.

After hours in the car, we finally arrived at site. We parked the car and made our way around the outside of the monestery. The walls are immense and 12 feet thick. As we rounded a corner, we saw a group of people with a little girl sitting and talking. The little girl had dark skin and big eyes. A very beautiful little girl. Alex grabbed my arm, "Tam (as I'm known by the Russians), over here." I asked if they were gypsies. They were. I told him how pretty a people they were to which he scrunched up his face in disgust, "No". We bought water and found some street vendors. Nathan lucked into finding a vendor who sold coins while Mom and I found something for Sasha and some other miscellaneous 'can't live without' items.

We finally made our way inside the gates of the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius. There are numerous buildings including a building where people line up with water containers to bring home holy water. Nathan felt that it was a must to wait in line to see St. Sergius' remains. Mom and I weren't as motivated. We looked longingly at the sprinklers going full blast and wondered if we'd be arrested for running through the water to cool ourselves off. Perhaps we'd start a trend. We stood for an hour and kept noticing people 'cutting' in line. Now, nothing irritates us more than standing in line to see something that we don't really care to see, in the blazing, hot Russian sun, wishing we had more water, lamenting the fact that this country hasn't found screens or air conditioning and having people cut in line. I finally asked Alex, "Why are some people waiting in line and others are just going in." Alex strolled up to the front and went into the church. He eventually came back and said, "these people are in line are waiting to kiss somebody". "Is he cute," I asked. "Come see," said Alex and we followed him to the entrance and strolled in. We pushed our way passed many a devout Orthodox crossing themselves to see the line curling around the inside of the church. Little women with amazing voices sang in the corner. And, there I saw the quest of the line. In the corner was a coffin. I'm sure I made a face. "Ssshh ... be quiet," Alex said. I continued to watch as more people planted big wet ones on what must be a pile of bones dating back to the fourteenth century. I looked back and saw Alex making a beeline for the exit. We made our way through the throngs of 'crossing' Russian Orthodox women (yes women, the men must be at home watching the soccer finals). When our eyes finally adjusted to light, we saw Alex, our driver, with tears streaming down his face laughing histerically at the thought of us waiting in line another hour to find ourselves face to um ... I guess what used to be his face, to give this guy a kiss.

I should've asked, "Are you sure this is the right line to view St. Sergius' remains." Next time I'll know.