I think that is where I left off, before my citibank insertion. I was to get to Rastov Veliky at 8:30 PM. I found some kind people at an Information desk at the train station. She wrote me a note to give to the ticket taker at Yaroslavl Station and this train would leave Moscow about 11:30 PM and arrive in Rastov at 1:30 AM.(By the way Moscow has eight major train stations within the city limits.)
When I bought my ticket at Yaroslavl station, the woman gave me a strange look. "Do you really want to buy this ticket?", she seemed to ask. And yes, it was a sleeper in first class for a two hour trip and I felt that I need that- 1700 rubles or $25. I got first class treatment, a cabin with bed all to myself and a two hour nap.
The train arrived as indicated at 1:30 AM. I took a cab- Always when you take a cab in Russia, you must ask the price first. But the problem is that when you ask for the price they hear your accent and double the price. The trouble is that there is no way arround this unless you get a Russian to make the request for you. So as usual I got ripped off taking a cab to the KORS Guest house in Russian XOPC (Pronounced HORST)At 2 AM the place was shut tight. I rang the buzzer, awoke the woman of the house and she told me to find another place.
Now in a strange city where I knew no one or nothing of the city, I was not about to trapes around with my luggage and try to find an open Gastonitza. I decided to lay down right there- in back of a protect large art sculpture that they created on the front lawn. I was immediately attacked by swarms of starving mosquitos. I opened my bag to look for my deet but it was too dark. Ah, my trusty ipod. I used it for light, retrieved my bug repellent and continued to drench myself and try to sleep.
I did not sleep. But I found that by four in the morning the attacks had stopped. Also it was beginning to get light. I left my gear in this protected place and proceeded to give myself a tour of the beautiful protected Kremlin. Rostov was a center for the government of the land around Moscow. It was a wealthy trade center for flax and linen. A city was built surrounded by walls as a center of commerce in the area. The walls only partially survive, but the buildings remain intact. Several multi-spired onion domes decorate the sky. A complex of buildings served the people of the area for about 100 years until Moscow took control of the government.
The city of Rastov is also located on beautiful little Lake Neri. It started to rain and I headed back to get my gear and hold up in a seller's stall that had been a hangout for the young drinkers of the town, the previous evening. A babusha came by to clean each stall and did not even bat an eye to see this foreigner with suitcase, bag and guitar sitting inside on of the stalls. I looked at my watch. It was 8 AM. I also saw the phone number of my guest house. I took about a half hour to use my dictionaries and write a semi-coherent version of my state. "I did not find Gastonitza. I was awake all night. Can I please come and stay at your place?" Imagine it all in bad Russian. They took mercy on me. Thus commenced my two day stay in Rastov Veliky. (Photos later)
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