As we were leaving the city, we made one last stop: the Transfiguration Monastery. As you can see, atop the entry tower, is our old friend the bear; you can also see that Yaroslavl not only slayed him -- he made him a Christian as well...

Here is a miniature monastery for children insi… Continue

I don't know how I had energy left after this busy day; but when we got back to the Vega, I decided to take in the Izmailovo Kremlin, and the nearby Vernisazh (the world's largest 'fleamarket') This Kremlin, as I said previously, is not really authentic, but it certainly looks so. The buildings are perfect replicas of ancient Russian architecture, but they house souvenir shops, boutiques, restaurants and even a Museum of Vodka

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In the year 988, when Yaroslavl was ten, his father, Saint Prince Vladimir of Kiev, converted the tribe of Rus to Orthodox Christianity. A few years after that momentous event, Yaroslavl was sent to what-is-now Central Russia to Christianize and civilize that wilderness. It was at this time that he earned the appellation "Yaroslavl the Wise" (because he built so many churches). In the year 1010, he established a fort on the Volga that would grow into a metropolis named for him. Tradition… Continue