A beautiful Russian Church was lost due to dredging of the Volga
Many villages and beautiful old churches were lost when the rivers of Northern Russia were widened to make them navigable for large ships.
The landscape North of Russia was beautiful. It gave the impression of pristine nature, but I knew that a few miles away a city or factory, unseen by us, could exist. The Russians enjoyed the river, it was springtime, and we often saw families picnicking and sunbathing on the river banks.
My husband and I had taken a cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I don’t like cruises because I feel confined and photos of the river bank all run together after a while, but I am glad I went. Sometimes we would be free in a town for a few hours. I wandered about. Sometimes I would meet a Russian and I’d say “hello”, but most did not reply. Their customs are different. If I met someone in a shop, though, they would laugh and joke with me.
The beauty of the young women was striking. They were tall and leggy with beautiful faces. They dressed as if they were going somewhere important, not just to push the baby’s stroller to the grocery. They wore makeup and their hair was styled. I wondered if this were a reaction to those years under the communists when they couldn’t make the most of themselves.