Sergiyev Posad

The Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra

Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Veshnyaki

🌾 Golden Ring Searching for Autumn | Salvaging a Thousand Years of Time in the Folds of Russia 🌾

The morning mist of October has not yet dissipated, and the train has taken me to the Golden Ring town northeast of Moscow. The birch forest outside the window is losing its green at a speed of five centimeters per second, like a palette overturned by God, splashing out golden, ochre and caramel mottled. This string of ancient towns scattered along the Volga River is strung into a necklace with the gilded dome of the Orthodox Church, worn on the vast chest of Russia.

📍Sergeyev: Morning Prayer at the Holy Trinity Monastery
When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, I was standing under the blue and gold dome of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The monks&#39; orange-red robes swept across the bluestone slabs, and the morning prayer hymns wrapped in frankincense rose, startling the white doves on the top of the bell tower. When my fingertips touched the 15th-century frescoes, Christ&#39;s lowered eyes coincided with the autumn rain dripping from the eaves. The painter&#39;s trembling breath six hundred years ago was slightly hot in my palms. The aroma of rye wafted from the bakery in the back alley of the monastery, and the kvass brewed by the monks had the sweetness of honey. In a trance, I seemed to see the Tsar&#39;s carriage rolling over the ginkgo trees on the ground, heading to the snowy country further north.

🌾Suzdal: An idyll of wooden houses and honey wine
When I arrived in Suzdal by a creaking old-fashioned bus, the autumn rain was soaking the wooden churches on the banks of the Kamenka River. This town forgotten by time turned the 11th-century Kremlin walls into a picture frame, framing the daily life of farmers driving horse-drawn carriages through the mud. Entering the 17th-century wooden farmhouse museum, the silver-haired old woman handed over amber honey wine on the wooden long table where the stove was still warm. The moment the wine slid down my throat, the birch forest outside the window suddenly shook into Levitan&#39;s &quot;Golden Autumn&quot;, and the wrinkled corners of the old wine seller&#39;s eyes unexpectedly had a similar divinity to the saints in the murals.

🕌Vladimir: The Metaphysics of Fate on the Bronze Dog&#39;s Nose
In the shadow of Vladimir&#39;s Golden Gate, I completed the most absurd dialogue with the Middle Ages. The bronze military dog ​​in front of the Dmitri Church was rubbed shiny, and the locals said that kissing its nose tip can harvest love. When I leaned over, the setting sun just penetrated the angel wings carved in the 12th century, casting a colorful halo on the stone steps-the stonemason eight hundred years ago might not have expected that the sacred pattern he chiseled would become an excellent lighting board for future travelers to take selfies. The Assumption Church in the twilight is even more magical. In the 16th-century frescoes, the apostles&#39; clothes floated in the evening breeze, and modern tourists holding selfie sticks are sharing the same moonlight with Grand Duke Vladimir who was baptized in the murals.

🍂Yaroslavl: Wrinkles of time and space on the banks of the Volga River
The whistle of the Volga River awakened the morning of the last day. Standing in front of the Transfiguration Monastery, which is the same as the 1,000 ruble banknote, I watched the reflection of the cruise ship cutting through the river like gold foil. Suddenly I understood why Russian poets always compared autumn to a &quot;gilded coffin&quot; - here buried the ambitions of the Rurik dynasty, the holy light of the Orthodox Church, and the fields overlooked by Anna Karenina in Tolstoy&#39;s works. In the Museum of Music and Time, the curator played &quot;Katyusha&quot; on a 19th-century accordion. The dust on the keys and the maple leaves falling outside the window have now become fragments of time.



✨ Travel Notes

Transportation: Moscow Kursk Railway Station has multiple trains going directly to various towns every day. It is recommended to buy a 3-day pass.

Secret place: Suzdal Poklonnaya Hill is a God&#39;s perspective for photographing 50 church domes in the morning mist.

Code: Say &quot;матрёшка&quot; (nesting dolls) to the staff at the Sergeyev Toy Museum, which may trigger a hidden hand-made experience.

Warning: After October, some wooden churches will not have enough heating. Remember to steam away the cold in the traditional sauna.

When I found the 1978 edition of &quot;War and Peace&quot; at a used book stall in Yaroslavl, a dried birch leaf floated out of the pages. Perhaps one autumn day, someone like me salvaged a Russia older than Moscow from these scattered ambers of time.
#Moscow Golden Ring #Russian Golden Ring Town #Holy Trinity Church #Moscow Holy Trinity Church

This is a popular restaurant with both dining and accommodation. It is just opposite the Trinity Monastery, and there are seats by the window with a good view of the street. But it is difficult to book.
The restaurant serves both group meals and individual guests. There is a Chinese sign at the door, and it also says &quot;Russian food on the tip of the tongue&quot;.
Then, the layout inside is very delicate, and there is an area selling souvenirs, which are very expensive.
The dishes are traditional Russian dishes, specializing in tourist business, and the taste is not bad. Of course, the price is a bit expensive. But the restaurant is so distinctively decorated, it is worth it.

Piu Del Cibo Sergiev Posad

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