It has been a difficult year. The year without trips and proper vacation. In June the Moscow authorities opened the public places and allowed people to travel freely. However, I did not have much thirst for traveling.
Eventually, I decided to give myself a try and set off for another journey. For beginning, I have chosen some destination nearby Moscow. And it was Sergiev Posad, a lovely ancient town, which is the part of the famous Golden Ring route.
The journey starts from Yaroslavskiy station, situated on the Komsomolskaya square. Actually, it is going to be one-day trip, because Sergiev Posad is located not far from Moscow, and there are only 70 kilometres by train. Honestly, I do not expect to see much in that city, but I expect to find some pacification there.
I take the cheapest ticket for the electric train with the cost of 200 rubles. The coach looks really shabby, but I am ready to "suffer" for a while.
In 1 hour and 30 minutes we stopped on the platform of Sergiev Posad station. The trip was good and not boring, because during the movement we were entertained by the numerous people, who were singing and selling some stuff in front of the passengers, and moreover the views out of the window were quite scenic.
So, I am in Sergiev Posad. The town was founded in 1337, but currently it counts the population of 110 thousand people. It is fantastic that at this small city there are so many marvelous sights.
Nowadays, it is very seldom to meet the old wooden houses in the streets. But in Sergiev Posad there are plenty of them. I am glad, that they try to preserve it and give opportunity to younger generation to see the significant part of Russian culture.
In the squares of the town also could be found some examples of the modern art. For example, this silhouette of the wooden Russian doll Matreshka. People say, that Matreshka became extremely popular in Russia at the time when they started to make it in Sergiev Posad.
Well, at first sight the town looks very cozy and comfortable, at least the central part of it. There are many places where you can take beautiful photos here. I definitely would like to see this scenery in Summer or early Autumn.
Meanwhile, I felt hungry and cold. So, before continuing my cultural program I needed to take care about hot meal. I have googled and found some positive rating of the Gostevaya Izba restaurant. It is located in the very center of the town, therefore I was quite skeptic about this place in terms of prices and quality. Luckily, I was wrong. The restaurant not only has the authentic interior but also offers good food in Russian style, cooked according to the old recipes. I recommend it by all means. Probably, this restaurant is another reason why you need to visit Sergiev Posad.
Nevertheless, I arrived to this place especially because of the monastery. The Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius was founded in the early 14th century by St Sergey, or Sergius of Radonezh. It became the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Christianity, and even Russian Tsars, including Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great, came here in search of the spiritual fulfilment.
The Trinity cathedral, built in the early 15th century is one of the oldest churches in the Moscow Region. This cathedral boasts some works by Andrey Rublev, Russia's most famous icon master. The shrine with the relics of Sergius of Radonezh are placed here.
Another notable Church is called Cathedral of the Assumption. The distinctive feature of this church is its striking blue domes with golden stars, which can be seen afar.
