The road and the ring and the gold.

We get up and drive into the boonies again. Our not so little mini bouncing along the not always smooth Russian roads and their unpredictable traffic. Six hours out and one pitstop: Kostroma. It‘s dark on arrival. In the morning everything feels kind of rushed and disorganised. We are 8. That kind of travelling is always shambolic. After a boat ride we end up driving to a place called Plyos. Covid is still causing restrictions in this little village so our lunch feels a little weird and I can sense the locals are a bit tense. It‘s picturesque. Our group splits. It’s been fun but thankfully we are left to ourselves. On the way out we stop at the weirdly named “Private Visit“ (Частный визит). If you ever pass this way go there. It‘s a charming and beautiful boutique hotel set in fantastical gardens with a quaint restaurant. Sadly we didn‘t have lunch there. Anyways. Back in Kostroma it‘s late when we arrive. So, next day we have a wander around. It‘s not as delapidated as some other towns I‘ve been to here. There‘s a nice market and some good cafes and restaurants. Normally it‘s probably full of tourists, but I think we shared it with the locals. That’s not to say it was very quiet. Then back in the car. Next stop Yaroslavl. It was once capital of Russia apparently. We walk a little. The centre is quaint. Worth a visit for sure. Seen it. Back in the car. We then drive to Rostov. It‘s not on the usual tourist route. Strangely we couldn‘t book anywhere here other than a kind of hostel place run by an alcoholic. I‘m sure Rostov has a few of those. Beautiful views of the lake and Kremlin And a certain charm, but it could do with a renovation or at least a damn thorough clean… it wasn‘t so cheap either. Anyway. You can kill a day around Rostov. And next day we did. If you want good food go to Hotel Bravis. It’s on the the edge of town but near a rather spectacular monastery. Russia has lots of spectacular monasteries. To be honest they can get a bit samey. I suppose you could say the same about any country. And that was it. Long drive home into the usual heavy Moscow traffic. Nice trip with a lot of impressions. I liked it.