The first place I decided to visit when it became possible was Tver. Though I'd visited the city with my ladies last year, there were parts of the city we didn't see. Plus, it is close to Moscow, so I was able to do an easy day trip.
A day trip meant I didn't have to worry about accomodation, or food. I brought my snack bag with plenty of food, knowing I'd be able to find a bench somewhere in the city to sit on while eating. Cafes weren't yet open, I knew I wouldn't be able to get food that way.
I wore a mask the entire time I was on the train, which was just under 2 hours. The train wasn't as busy as normal, but it was more than half full. I'd say about half the people were wearing masks, and half of those were wearing them properly.
I arrived in Tver around 10am, it was hot. I started sweating almost as soon as I stepped outside the train station, but oh well. I'd planned out what I wanted to see in the city ahead of time, and marked all the spots on a map, I didn't want to waste time.
My first stop was a statue of Lenin, this one was not in the city center. To get there I walked a couple back roads, crossed a pedestrian bridge over the tracks of another train station, and passed some eye catching buildings. I'm a sucker for wooden houses, particularly those that have been kept up well, as they often have gorgeous flowers all around, and intricately carved window decorations. So pretty, and so quaint.
This particular Lenin was at the back side of a small park, and behind him was red stone, I think it was supposed to represent a red flag.
These statues of Lenin always fascinate me, because I'm usually the only one around. It's rarely difficult to take a photo without anyone else in the frame.
After taking my photos with and of Lenin, I sat on one of the benches in the park to eat. Being in the shade felt soooo good, I already knew I'd have major heat exhaustion by the end of the day.
From there I walked back toward the part of the city most people visit when they come to Tver. Along the way I stopped at what used to be a big factory complex.
There were signs with the history of the complex, but they were entirely in Russian, and I was hot. I should've taken pictures, to translate later, but I didn't.
I think some of the buildings are now used as apartment buildings, a couple are just plain abandoned, and others are maybe still factories? I'm not sure. I found an area with playground equipment, but it was slowly being taken back by nature.
After the factory area, I walked to a monastery. The name of the main church in the monastery was the Resurrection Cathedral, but I can't find the name of the monastery, argh. I was able to see a small chapel, and a church, both of which were outside the walls. Unfortunately, the monastery gates were still closed, so I wasn't able to see any churches or buildings inside the walls. The map I was using had me going through the monastery grounds, so I had to find another way around, which ended up being quite a bit longer than expected.
Normally I wouldn't have minded the extra walking, but like I wrote earlier, it was hot, and I was feeling it. When I got around to the other side of the monastery, there was a sign on the gates that basically said it was still closed for quarantine. From what I could tell, only people who belong inside the walls were going to be allowed in.
My next stop was an obelisk honouring the victory of the Allies in WW2. A very typical Soviet victory monument. There was another small church not too far behind the obelisk, also closed at the time.
At this point, that wasn't much of a surprise. Many of the people I've seen in Russian churches are older, so they're more at risk for getting sick with Covid 19. As much as I want to travel normally, I also want to keep people safe if I can, and that sometimes means not seeing something.
Not long after that I got to one of the major bridges over the river, just by an art museum we visited in a previous trip to Tver. The bridge had walkways one both sides for pedestrians, there were plenty of people walking on the bridge.
On the other side of the bridge I noticed something I hadn't seen during the first visit to Tver, a beach! There were quite a few people hanging out on the beach, enjoying the weather.
I turned onto another street, and before long ended up on another bridge. Walking over that one gave me a view of a pretty little marina, with a few boats moored. I wonder how many people in Tver have boats, and how often they use them. For that matter, how long is it considered boating weather? Where do the boats go when the river freezes?
Not long after crossing that bridge, I realized I needed to turn around and go back a bit. The road I was on at the moment wasn't going to connect with the part of the city I needed to get to. I know I've said it before in this post, but extra walking wasn't sounding as good as normal because of the heat and sun.
Continuing to walk, I passed the biggest/main Lenin statue in town. I also passed a stela that showed Tver is considered a city of military glory.
Eventually I got to my last sight of the trip: a mosque. Though Russia is generally known as an Orthodox Christian country, there are plenty of other faiths represented in the country. This mosque wasn't huge, but it was easily recognizable as a mosque. What I immediately noticed was that it was right next to a Catholic church. I love that kind of juxtaposition. I wonder if the congregations have any sort of relationship with each other.
From there I found the closest bus stop, and caught a bus back to the train station. Tver doesn't have a big train station, and not a lot of traffic, so they don't let you onto the platform you want until just a few minutes before the train arrives.
Of course this means people gather right next to the barriers, (not many of them wearing masks,) waiting for the moment those barriers are removed.
The train back to Moscow went exactly as scheduled, which is exactly what I expected :)
Tver is a great city as a quick trip from Moscow, but now that I've seen it in winter weather and summer weather, I don't think I need to go back.
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