Samaraskaya Luka Sunday

This Sunday (September 24- I'm trying to catch up!) was a day I don't think I will ever forget. It was such a good day, in fact, I was a little bummed the following few days because they paled in comparison. Jeremy and I woke up early to meet Yuri and take a few buses down to a dock. On the way, we met up with Sveta, Yuri's friend, and we all boarded a large boat that would take us to the island, Samaraskaya Luka which is in the middle of the Volga. Yuri had told me scientists believe it has strange magnetic energy a la "Lost" because on one side, the current goes north and on the other, south. Think of it circling the island. The boat ride was colder than we expected, but the view was fantastic. I hadn't anticipated the leaves would have turned since in our neighborhood, most were still green. The spectrum of colors was just brilliant and with the morning light, the sights were tinged with gold.

Once we docked, the four of us hiked through some woods until we came to a large field. Jeremy remarked how the terrain was similiar to Wisconsin, so his mood was very nostalgic. Eventually, we came to a town which was made of old traditional houses. Yuri pointed out a whote box like building. It was the only store in the village and it was closed since it was a Sunday. As we walked past some houses, we could see all the vedgies and fruit the residents grew. they backyards were teeming with produce. It made me envy how simple life must be there. We also found a bush with a berry I had never seen before. Since it wasn't on anyone's property, we helped ourselves to a few. The taste was sweet at first, but then a tartness traveled all around my mouth.

Here is one of the prettier houses in the town.





After some more walking, we came to our first destination- a spring that is said to be holy. A church was recently constructed near it, so it had a fence around the area. Luckily the gate wasn't locked, but it particularly irked Yuri since anyone had been able to go and take water. Why should the church be able to claim it as their's? I totally understood his view on the matter. Hopefully, they won't stop anyone from going to the spring in the future. We all brought some container, so was could bring some back. They say the water never goes bad. If you wished, you could take a dip too, but it wasn't a hot spring, so we passed. Afterwards, we found a nice spot for a picnic. Each of us had brought something to eat and together we had a nice feast. There was bread, cheese, sausage Jeremy and I decided was more like bologna than sausage, pistachios, tomotoes, and a sour cheese that reminded us of chees cake. Next, we hiked up a hill to a place where we could buy honey. A barking dog met us and a man who looked like he worked at the church told us they no longer sold honey. It wasn't too much of a letdown, especially since we joked the dog had been trying to tell us that all along!


We continued walking for some time until Yuri showed us the trail he thought we could climb. I was having a hard time up it since it was incredibly steep. For some reason, I just couldn't seem to balance. Luckily we found a spot to enjoy the view. Yuri told us that only two boats come to the island usually, the morning one and the evening one, so we had a lot of time to kill. Jeremy suggested, we sit in a field nearby and have another picnic. He had brought our Gong Hee Fot Choy game, a fortune telling game, and some pinochle cards. First, we gave Sveta and Yuri readings and then we tried to teach the two the rules of pinochle. Luckily Yuri was my partner. He kept looking at Sveta's cards and acting beligerent everytime we one a round. I would have been pretty annoyed if he were my opponant! We then had some more picnic food and made our way back to the dock. Jeremy and I were so beat by the time we got home, but our moods were so relaxed and happy. It really was a perfect day- beautiful nature, fun people and great conversation!

Here's a pic of Yuri, me and Sveta