Convoys and the Long Way Home

[drron]

Our first views of Archangel-

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We initially thought this church was being renovated but in fact it is being rebuilt having been totally destroyed by the communists in the 30s.

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More of the view from the ship.It was a fine day-13C and got to 23C.We had a lot of time for pictures.

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We were spied on from both ends of the ship-

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[drron]

The Russian Immigration officials were on board but at 10am when our tour was due to depart and we just got the call our passports.A crowd at reception to collect them and after disembarking another face to face check in the little blue hut.That took a while-

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Finally got away on our tour at 1030.Highlights of Archangel.The roads were not of great standard but lots of recognisable names-

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A fair and Comrade Lenin prominent-

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Some old buildings though-

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[amaroo]

Enjoying the TR. Toying with the idea of visiting Norway at the end of the year .... guessing the scenery would be very different to your pics.

 

[drron]

At the end of the year Norway should be colder,darker and whiter than on our journey.
Sea day again so back to the TR.
Our first stop was the English cemetery.To the left was the local cemetery mostly overrun.

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To the left a little chapel and a well kept cemetery-

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A young Russian was trying to tell us something but he had very little English and none of us any Russian.However we found out later this was a Russian military cemetery for the casualties from Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Now to the English part of the cemetery.Very poignant for me as during this trip I had visited the grave of my great uncle in France.Some of the men buried here are from the same units of those buried with my great uncle.Just so sad that some must have survived the horrors of the Somme to die in this forsaken place.The cemetery though is well kept.

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Two of the surnames on the list of Scots may well have been related.
I also had the fortune in the late 70s to meet a woman who was sent here with these forces to help the White Russians as she spoke 5 languages including Russian and Chinese.She was able to escape capture and managed to get to China.

 

[drron]

Now to our next stop the Maritime history museum.On the way passed this majestic yet dilapidated building-

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At the museum-

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Shipbuilding began here in the 1690s encouraged by Peter the Great.But not all exhibits had a maritime theme.The acoustics were awful and I had great difficulty understanding our guide.very little English descriptions of the displays.French was more common.
All ships built had a scale model built as well.The bells pictured are said to be from the 1600s-

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[drron]

The building itself was attractive.Many of the rooms though were behind glass.Really didn't think an hour here was necessary.Whilst out the back it was the fun of the fair-

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Next stop was a statue of Peter the Great.Dont you just hate it when someone photobombs your picture?

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Next stop an orthodox church,rebuilt-

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[drron]

More of the church-

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I believed this wasn't a real Russian church as there was no shop staffed by babushkas.
More buildings including a Lutheran church and an old brewery-

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[drron]

The next stop was a souvenir shop.I walked in then out and like the naughty boy I am walked around the area myself.Down on the river people were sunbaking on the beach watched over by a maritime figure-

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Next I found an old factory.It is now an alcohol factory!Makes wines from cloudberries,bluberries and herbs.

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A new apartment block being built.I certainly hope they are bigger than 4x6metres.

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Then over the shipbuilding area-

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[drron]

An old WW1 British tank and a new building-

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The last stop was the best.Museum street.Old buidings with pedestrian traffic only.Though not a static museum.People live and work here.

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Along the way statues of a local who wrote fairy tales.

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[drron]

Not everything was old or even a building-

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Anyone for a sandwich?

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[drron]

This street is several blocks long-

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The last of Museum street-

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Now I am unsure what this said but young women were having their photograph taken beside this with their hands covering their eyes.

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One thing that was very noticeable was the number of prams being pushed round-mothers,fathers or babushka out in the sun.

 

[drron]

Because of the late start of our morning tour we had just over 20 minutes until our afternoon tour.But we had prepared.Lunch was waiting in our suite-a club sandwich and crème brulee-ordered with our butler that morning.So off we went again with the same guide.We were doing the 2 villages tour.Actually it was to 2 churches in one village and an historical museum village of 18th and 19th century wooden buildings.
So first some pictures from the bus.As we drove out the quality of buildings steadily declined.At first ugly Soviet style apartment blocks.Then wooden buildings which got smaller the further we went.Only an occasional one had been well maintained.

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We were now out in the country and passed the historical museum we were going to tour later-

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Outside the city there were numerous small plots of cultivation amongst the meadows all done by hand held tools-

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Then we reached the churches.First the new-

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[drron]

Then the old-

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Now this church was built in 1584.However the stories told how it burnt down but it's most famous icon was found hanging in a nearby tree hence the "miracle"church.Sounds like it had been rebuilt many times.

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Inside a wooden structure built with no nails-

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Our guide was explaining what it meant.I think she said it was the naughty corner so I left quickly.Down the hill was a spring credited with miracles.It was guarded by 671 billion mosquitoes that could bite you through your clothing-

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[drron]

I am not sure of these miraculous powers.The area around here was a Gulag from the 30s until at least the 50s and possibly later.Our older guide says they are still finding human bones here.

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Now off to the historical village of wooden buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

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A woman in traditional dress welcomed us in the old way with bread and salt.Bread for good health and salt for great wealth.I don't think there was any salt left after I had my dip!

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Another young woman was our guide.She spoke very good English at a slower rate than our bus guide-

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The first village we went to was Lyavla which had the old church of St.Nicholas and the miracle spring.
The wooden village is the historical village og Malye Korely.The buildins have been relocated from villages around the north of Russia to this museum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malye_Korely

 

[drron]

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Inside the church-

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Then the barn which was away from the house as the families valuables were kept here so less risk of fire.Growing alongside are hops.

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Next a peasant house with hay loft-

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[drron]

Inside the house-

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Outside and a view across to some summer homes of the rich-

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[drron]

The last of the wooden village-

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It was an interesting place,fine weather,reasonable guides but once again the mosquitoes were very numerous and aggressive.
Back to the ship too late for trivia or golf.The light had changed with some interesting reflections-

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A late dinner but nice.I had a Goan lamb curry well spiced with extra sambal.Rojaan went straight to bed but I waited until sail away at 11pm.The changing light,sunset colours and the rising moon were colourful-

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[drron]

Sail away-

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Even past 11pm people were out watching us sail away-

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Even the tug boat crew were taking photos-

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[drron]

There was a hoon on a jet ski making a racket.Also joined by a water skier showing off-

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[drron]

Twilight colours-

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Tuesday and a quiet sea day.Our team won at trivia being the highlight.Had a very enjoyable dinner with our Scots friends and a lovely couple from Chicago.He also a physician.I stayed up to catch the midnight sun as we were back in the Arctic Circle.Not that great-

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