Visit to the Lavra
After roaming around Moscow's city centre, we went to Sergiyev Posad, a quaint little town outside Moscow. It is famous for the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, one of the biggest monasteries in Russia. Sergiyev Posad is part of the Golden Ring, which is a region that is considered as the cradle of the Russian nation. Churches, monasteries and quaint little towns dot the landscape that is characterised by hills, farms, white-birch forests and ponds.
Our visit to the Lavra coincided with the weekend, so it was full of tourists and pilgrims. Coming from Moscow, the Lavra felt like another world. Religion is actually alive there. Even the presence of hordes of tourists are diluted by the presence of devout pilgrims. Much has been done to restore the former beauty of the Lavra.
Contrary to the profusion of red in Moscow's Kremlin, the Lavra is overwhelmingly white, while the domes are coloured in gold or blue. The Lavra is guarded by walls on all sides, and it reminds one of a fortress.
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Getting there: Sergiyev Posad is abut 90km away from Moscow. The best but most expensive option is to join a half-day tour. There are many tours to Sergiyev Posad, of all service levels, available in Moscow. Suburban train connects Moscow's Yaroslav Station (Platform 2) and Sergiyev Pasad. Buying a train ticket can be difficult. Ask your hotel staff or Russian friend to write down what you need on a piece of paper and present that to the ticket booth. There are busses too. The bus to Sergiyev Posad can be found outside the Metro station VDNKh. During weekends, the road between Moscow and Sergiyev Posad can be very crowded. There was a new interchange being constructed on the way as of June 2007, which is causing a huge traffic jam. So, the best option is the train ride, which takes about 1 and 1/2 hours.
Russky Dvorik belongs to the hotel of the same name, which also features a tavern and Russian bath: "banya."
