I Spent My Birthday With The Archangel Michael, Near The White Sea In Russia
September 17, 2016 by admin
This is me in my newest Hostel Netizen in Moscow. I was just gifted with watermelon to eat while I’m catching up on these Russian blogs.
I went to Archangelsk, near the Arctic Circle, to celebrate my 79th birthday on September 10. I especially wanted to visit ancient Solovki Island in the White Sea, which has a monastery thousands of years old. Valodia of Moscow, is on photo left, and Pavel, of Vladivostok is on the right. My scarf and overskirt was required to be properly dressed as a woman in a monk’s world.
We women were given black silk, wrap-around skirts to cover our blue jeans.
Our small tour group was served a delicious lunch in the local restaurant.
This ancient, ancient medieval Russian Orthodox Monastery on Solovki Island, is built in the Ark shape and has withstood attack over the centuries.
Our guides, a nun and a monk, describe a mountain chapel.
This is the “downtown” area of the small village on this remote island in the Russian White Sea.
This church at the very tip-top of a hard hill, has a light beacon on top, that was made in Paris. It guides the ships of the White Sea to safety.
After driving and then, hiking up a mountain, we found a pilgrimage path leading to a lighthouse chapel at the top of the hill. It felt like hiking in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
At last, our climb to the top was rewarded with 360 degrees of clear vision.
Thank goodness for very steep, downhill staircases! Whoosh! This was WORK for an old lady, turning 79! But, we count our blessings! I made it on my own two feet!
The Solovki Airport. We were soooo lucky with the weather! It’s often freezing and very windy here.
The runway in the background is made of bumpy metal sheets….probably for traction in the ice and snow. It does the trick!
Bye Bye, Beautiful Solovki!
This whole region is blessed by the Archangel Michael, (hence, the city of Archanglsk,) and it is considered to be the Spiritual Heart of Russia! This is why I chose it for my Birthday Trip.
Our wonderful, double-engine, propeller plane was made in the Czech Republic. What fun the half-hour flight was! I was so lucky to be included on a special, off-season trip as normal flights had stopped the week before.
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