Sometimes you just need a quiet weekend. That was this weekend. I went with my host family to Suzdal and relaxed there. My host family has a tradition of getting a hotel room in Suzdal and inviting some relatives to join them every year, and this year I tagged along. We went there in the morning on Saturday, walked around the little town, poked into some museums, and saw some churches--Suzdal is a city of dozens of old churches. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse just as we got to the hotel, and it stayed cold, windy, and rainy the whole time we were there. So we were a bit stuck in the hotel room, which fortunately was a nice, cabin-like thing. This morning, we got up early, had the hotel's decent breakfast buffet (which is called a Swedish table in Russian), and went for a swim in the hotel pool. The main building of the hotel is a big old Soviet creation, and the Soviet mentality of relaxation (very controlled, under the advisement of "experts," somewhat like a sanitarium) reigns--along with Soviet-era attitudes toward customer service.
The pool is open from 9-12 daily, and you are supposed to bring your own towel, sandals, and bathing cap. We didn't bring towels or bathing caps, so we had to pay a 200-ruble fee. I misunderstood the whole conversation and thought that the weird plastic thing the unhappy attendant gave me was a shoe covering (if you've been to Russia, you know what I'm talking about) and promptly decided to not use it. So I get into the pool sans bathing cap and have a great old time swimming, and just as we were about to get out, my host dad noticed that the ladies in charge of the pool were angrily gesturing and pointing at me. My lack of bathing cap was apparently a violation of some sanitary principle, even though I had just showered. And oh did the lady give it to me when I walked past her as I was leaving. If you've never been yelled at by an angry old Russian woman, you are missing out; it is an experience you won't forget. I tried not to chuckle and said that I simply forgot; my host family said I should have just responded to her in English.
Anyway, it was a great time in Suzdal. Like I said, sometimes you just need a quiet break from the craziness, and I got the extra benefit of speaking only Russian all weekend. Although as we were leaving the hotel this morning, I heard our neighbors speaking perfect American English--funny that I spent the night next to a bunch of Americans in a hotel in Russia. It's a small world.
Speaking of it being a small world, I was working out at my gym this evening, and a guy about my age walks in wearing an Ohio State shirt. I didn't believe my eyes at first. I watched the guy for a second and immediately realized that he was Russian--no American would wear sandals and a short bathing suit to the gym, and he had a small mullet, which is something that no American would have. So, at this point, I'm thinking that either he studied at OSU as a foreign student, or someone gave him the shirt. I eventually went up to this guy, said hi, and mentioned that I have exactly that same shirt and that Ohio State is the name of my university. He was a bit surprised and said that he bought the shirt in Turkey and has never heard of OSU. We chuckled about that, and no I'm on handshake terms with another person at the gym. I don't know if my little gym in Dobroe, Vladimir, Russia, could have handled another Buckeye, anyway.
Here's some pictures of Suzdal from this weekend. There was a farmers'/souvenir market going on when we got there, so that's what the first two pictures are. The others are from walking around, and the last picture is of our hotel.
The pool is open from 9-12 daily, and you are supposed to bring your own towel, sandals, and bathing cap. We didn't bring towels or bathing caps, so we had to pay a 200-ruble fee. I misunderstood the whole conversation and thought that the weird plastic thing the unhappy attendant gave me was a shoe covering (if you've been to Russia, you know what I'm talking about) and promptly decided to not use it. So I get into the pool sans bathing cap and have a great old time swimming, and just as we were about to get out, my host dad noticed that the ladies in charge of the pool were angrily gesturing and pointing at me. My lack of bathing cap was apparently a violation of some sanitary principle, even though I had just showered. And oh did the lady give it to me when I walked past her as I was leaving. If you've never been yelled at by an angry old Russian woman, you are missing out; it is an experience you won't forget. I tried not to chuckle and said that I simply forgot; my host family said I should have just responded to her in English.
Anyway, it was a great time in Suzdal. Like I said, sometimes you just need a quiet break from the craziness, and I got the extra benefit of speaking only Russian all weekend. Although as we were leaving the hotel this morning, I heard our neighbors speaking perfect American English--funny that I spent the night next to a bunch of Americans in a hotel in Russia. It's a small world.
Speaking of it being a small world, I was working out at my gym this evening, and a guy about my age walks in wearing an Ohio State shirt. I didn't believe my eyes at first. I watched the guy for a second and immediately realized that he was Russian--no American would wear sandals and a short bathing suit to the gym, and he had a small mullet, which is something that no American would have. So, at this point, I'm thinking that either he studied at OSU as a foreign student, or someone gave him the shirt. I eventually went up to this guy, said hi, and mentioned that I have exactly that same shirt and that Ohio State is the name of my university. He was a bit surprised and said that he bought the shirt in Turkey and has never heard of OSU. We chuckled about that, and no I'm on handshake terms with another person at the gym. I don't know if my little gym in Dobroe, Vladimir, Russia, could have handled another Buckeye, anyway.
Here's some pictures of Suzdal from this weekend. There was a farmers'/souvenir market going on when we got there, so that's what the first two pictures are. The others are from walking around, and the last picture is of our hotel.
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