{"id":2785,"date":"2020-04-04T23:52:51","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T23:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/?p=2785"},"modified":"2026-04-05T23:19:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:19:18","slug":"trip-to-russia-day-6-myshkin-volga-banya-vodka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/2020\/04\/04\/trip-to-russia-day-6-myshkin-volga-banya-vodka\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia. Day 6. Myshkin \u2014 Volga, Banya, Vodka"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u2014 Go look around the house. It\u2019s different in the morning, \u2014\u00a0Tanya said when I waddled into the kitchen still in my pajamas.<\/p>\n<p>It was.<\/p>\n<p>At night, the circle of chairs in the living room on the second floor set the mood for a conversation with a drink in hand. In the morning, it was all energy and inspiration to go out and do something.<\/p>\n<p>The light in this house is so right. This light, the wood, all the tiny little details make the place cozy and comfortable. Day or night.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9869.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9869-1.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9869\" width=\"600\" height=\"550\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>No surprise, magazines like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marieclaire.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Marie Claire<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.glamour.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Glamour<\/span><\/a>, to name a few, used the interiors of the house on their pages.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9879.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9879.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9879\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>By the time I made it downstairs, Tanya and Sergei had already gone for a walk, made and finished their breakfast, and were cleaning the dishes.<\/p>\n<p>Last night\u2019s dinner and wooden interiors sedated me and all I wanted was to hang around this house and garden and sop up that slow calm. And feel time.<\/p>\n<p>Tanya said no \u2014 the day was planned and the plan was packed. I dawdled to the best of my ability using Tom and the girls and the language barrier as an excuse not to leave as long as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Outside, the house was as amazing as inside. There was something for the eye no matter where you look.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Myshkin porch and yard\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/381805504?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"563\" height=\"1000\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Artists who stayed here decorated the roof of the porch. Prior to restoring the Myshkin house, these artists painted part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cathedral_of_Christ_the_Saviour\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Cathedral of Christ the Savior<\/span><\/a> in Moscow and worked on the reconstruction of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bolshoi_Theatre\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Bolshoi Theater<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9873.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9873.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9873\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Front entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Tanya and Sergei relate to this house through their son, whose wife is the daughter of the owners. The renovator of the house, Tanya and Sergei\u2019s in-law, Vladimir Shukhov, is a grandson of another <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vladimir_Shukhov\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Vladimir Shukhov<\/span><\/a>, a Russian engineer and architect, the inventor of the world&#8217;s first hyperboloid structures and metal mesh roofs.<\/p>\n<p>On our Day 1, we saw a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/GUM_%28department_store%29\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">shopping mall on Red Square<\/span><\/a> he had his hand in. On Day 2, we walked by the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Moscow_Kiyevsky_railway_station\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Kievskaya railway station<\/span><\/a> covered with a roof he designed. For 25 years, I was going to bed with <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shukhov_Tower\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Shukhov Tower<\/span><\/a> as the last view of my day from my bedroom window.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9874.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9874.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9874\" width=\"600\" height=\"718\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Back of the house.<\/p>\n<p>When Vladimir Shukhov, the grandson, acquired this land, the house was falling apart. For the most part, he preserved the original 100-year-old building but added a second floor with two bedrooms, a living room, and a balcony.<\/p>\n<p>He tried to create an estate similar to those of the 19th century where artists, musicians, writers, and their patrons gathered. He planned a place for creative people to work on crazy interesting ideas \u2014 be it photography, movies, performing arts, painting, sculpture. Those plans seem to work.<\/p>\n<p>And the house itself with its real Russian stove, carved window frames salvaged in surrounding villages, amazing collections of art and antique household items, tools, and utensils carries the spirit of the Russian North. Its overgrown garden, like no place else on our trip, carried that special feeling of Russian province described so accurately by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ivan_Goncharov\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Goncharov<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anton_Chekhov\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Chekhov<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ivan_Bunin\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Bunin<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ivan_Turgenev\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Turgenev<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9878.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9878.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9878\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My parents\u2019 dacha came to mind. The harvest there was never lavish, mom and dad struggled with our apple trees. No matter how I loathed those dacha trips, it was fun in the morning to go outside in pajamas to pick fresh fruit for breakfast. And to see my scientist dad in his underwear with gigantic clippers \u201cshaping tree crowns.\u201d And to hear  my country-raised grandmother sighing by the window:<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Where will the fruit grow? He chopped off all the branches.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9885.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9885.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9885\" width=\"600\" height=\"290\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Anyway, Tanya\u2019s energy took us out of the magnetic house into the even more magnetic town.<\/p>\n<p>First mentioned in the 15th century as a settlement, Myshkin became an official city in the 18th. It was degraded back to a village some time later and raised back to the city rank in the 20th.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9907.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9907.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9907\" width=\"600\" height=\"421\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Myshkin is not officially a part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Golden_Ring_of_Russia\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Golden Ring<\/span><\/a> but somehow it became the most memorable town on our trip \u2014 a fun dive into northern provincial Russia with everything original, real, handmade.<\/p>\n<p>The town is tiny but, boy, it has a lot of museums. Twenty? Thirty? More? Probably more. It seems like someone would start collecting something, not necessarily ancient or unique, and then invite\u00a0strangers to visit and turn on their imagination.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7066.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7066.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7066\" width=\"600\" height=\"356\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This open-air Myshkin Folk Museum was put together completely by local enthusiasts without any government or corporate help.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9902.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9902-1.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9902\" width=\"600\" height=\"677\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Folk museum has several enclaves: The City History Museum, The World&#8217;s Only Museum of Mice, The Great Vodka Master P. A. Smirnov Museum, open-air ethnographic Museum of Peasant Architecture, Museum of Unique Technology \u201cMyshkinsky Samohod\u201d, \u00a0Linen Museum, Sheepskin Museum, Museum of Provincial Printing and Publishing, and some\u2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7024.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7024\" width=\"600\" height=\"368\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The crafts of the distant past \u2014 weaving, carving, pottery, blacksmithing \u2014 are everywhere.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9889.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9889.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9889\" width=\"600\" height=\"644\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Nowhere to turn without famous Russian sayings:<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cA hostess warning: anyone entering the house is met with a kind word and fed to the best of her ability. The most bothersome ones are heartily sent back with the help of this laundry rasp\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9904.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9904.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9904\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Russian birch trees in the background \u2014 just like in old fairly tale movies.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9906.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9906.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9906\" width=\"600\" height=\"663\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We heard a weather vane creak on a windmill, stepped into a baker&#8217;s house, and peeked into a bobyl\u2019s house. Bobyl is a guy who vowed to never marry and to live his life on his own. This is his hut.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9911.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9911.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9911\" width=\"600\" height=\"308\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Everything in the Folk museum is real \u2014 rows of peasant huts, barns, domes of churches that sunk under water, chapels. They were pulled here from local neighborhoods by people trying to preserve history.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9915.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9915.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9915\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A foodcourt of olden days.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7144.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7144.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7144\" width=\"600\" height=\"363\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Museum of Unique Equipment \u201cMyshkin Samokhod&#8221; houses agricultural machinery: a steam locomotive, an aircraft turbine, lemonade and sausage makers of the 19th century.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9924.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9924.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9924\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In Russia, windows were considered the eyes of the house and protectors from outside evil. Wooden weather boards placed between the upper beam of the window and the first log of the hut were rarely left without decorations. They were statements of pride, most significant elements of home decor. They were the face of the house, the best part of it covered with protective symbols. These carvings were exhibitions of artists\u2019 skills, their individuality, tools they could afford, imagination.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9895.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9895.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9895\" width=\"600\" height=\"620\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here is the Museum of Salt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9898.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9898.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9898\" width=\"600\" height=\"484\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Quite a collection of salt shakers. And of course all those Russian inscriptions:<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cA woman without shame is like food without salt.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9897.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9897.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9897\" width=\"600\" height=\"582\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cFood without salt is like a kiss without love.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9900.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9900.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9900\" width=\"600\" height=\"805\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cDrink sour, eat salty and you won\u2019t rot after death.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7053.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7053.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7053\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is our enthusiastic crew exiting a little photography museum. What caused this excitement? A flash bulb?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9935.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9935.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9935\" width=\"600\" height=\"650\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A low door threshold and high step are no accident \u2014 as you come in, you have to bow to the place you walking into and to people inside.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7159.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7159.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7159\" width=\"600\" height=\"414\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\ufffcOne of the richest collection of spinning wheels is in Myshkin.  Here are the boards that hold the yarn.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9927.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9927.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9927\" width=\"600\" height=\"691\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The heart of local spinning business: wool and linen \u2014 felt wool boots for the Russian winter, linen summer dresses or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sarafan\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">\u201csarafans&#8221;<\/span><\/a> for the summer heat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9928.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9928.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9928\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The equipment and templates for traditional Russian felt boots, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Valenki\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">\u201cvalenki.&#8221;<\/span><\/a> Somewhere in this area of Northern Russia they used to breed a special kind of sheep, from which the wool was particularly good for valenki.<\/p>\n<p>And valenki in Russia have always been important. They say: <em><strong>\u201dOnce you got a pair of valenki, you can get married.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMAGE 2019-09-03 06:58:38.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMAGE-2019-09-03-065838.jpeg\" alt=\"IMAGE 2019 09 03 06 58 38\" width=\"600\" height=\"320\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We visited a woodturner who, in front of us, turned a piece of wood into a large goblet and a tiny one. The tiny one, called the fly or \u201cmukha,\u201d we got to it take home.<\/p>\n<p>More about \u201cmukha\u201d \u2014 a few pictures later.\ufffc<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7114.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7114.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7114\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The woodturner had a pet duck which responded to a whistle, a sign she knew meant that food was coming.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9938.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9938.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9938\" width=\"600\" height=\"394\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In a way, Myshkin reminded me of Maine, one of my favorite places in the world. Time slowed down here. It was quiet. That calm rhythm of a small town where everyone knows everyone and all live peacefully.<\/p>\n<p>It was not even all those museums, it was that peaceful atmosphere that made this town so hard to leave.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7168.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7168.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7168\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Volga_River\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Volga<\/span><\/a> embankment in Myshkin has two levels. One is high up for great views, lower one is for walks. This place really makes you want to slow down and feel time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9976.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9976.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9976\" width=\"600\" height=\"496\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Salted fish. Jerk fish. Hot smoked fish. Cold smoked fish. Pickled fish. Air dried fish. You name it \u2014 he&#8217;s got it: sturgeon of all kinds, salmon, beluga, sterlet, herring, burbot, pike. And the best of them all \u2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/nelmitravel.com\/vobla-and-russian-beer\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">vobla<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>They say, Volga&#8217;s tastiest fish is in Myshkin. Naturally, we bought almost one of each kind this guy had to offer.<\/p>\n<p>At first, he was not happy that \u201cAmerican spies\u201d were roaming around, but softened up after we gave him business.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9940.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9940.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9940\" width=\"600\" height=\"656\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>During summer months, children help their parents carry on with trade.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9978.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9978.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9978\" width=\"600\" height=\"389\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Local harvest \u2014 fresh and pickled \u2014 for sale.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9981.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9981.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9981\" width=\"600\" height=\"609\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Myshk Inn of Myshkin.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9984.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9984.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9984\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Museum of Dolls.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9985.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9985.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9985\" width=\"600\" height=\"761\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In this house, Russian poet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poemhunter.com\/fyodor-ivanovich-tyutchev\/\">Fedor Tutchev<\/a> lived during Napoleonic War of 1812 staying away from front lines. Now this is a place for gatherings of local intellectuals and it still houses some artifacts of its original owner.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9983.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9983.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9983\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Golden globes. My grandmother had these flowers all around her house in Kursk. She planted them all over my parent\u2019s dacha. On the weekends, we carried heaps of them to our Moscow apartment. My parents carried food, tools, and important stuff. Flowers were trusted to me. Frequently, dozing off on suburban <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elektrichka\">electrichka<\/a><\/span>, I\u2019d wake up with stems of my bouquet intertwined with those of another happy dachnick\u2019s golden globes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7174.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7174.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7174\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ru.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/\u0412_\u0433\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f\u0445_\u0443_\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0437\u043a\u0438\">\u201cV Gostyakh u Skazki\u201d \u2014 \u201cVisiting a Fairy Tale.\u201d<\/a><\/span> On Soviet television, it was a Saturday 3 pm show for children. My week revolved around it \u2014 that day I was running home from school not to miss it. Best fairy tale movies \u2014 \u201cMorozco,\u201d \u201cSadko,\u201d \u201cKashei the Immortal,\u201d \u201cMaria the Craftswoman,\u201d \u201cFairy Tale of Tsar Saltan,\u201d \u201cBarbara, the Beauty,\u201d \u201cTwelve Months,\u201d \u201cSnowmaiden,\u201d \u201cSnow Queen,\u201d \u201cWild Swans,\u201d \u201cThe Tale of the Lost Time,\u201d \u201cStone Flower&#8230;\u201d Stop me!<\/p>\n<p>Before and after the movie, there was a babushka story teller introducing the tale and praising you for watching it to the end from the window of a wooden hut: \u201cHere is the end of the fairy tale and those who listened to it are good boys and girls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is my babushka story teller.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9944.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9944.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9944\" width=\"600\" height=\"624\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Five domes and the high bell tower of the 19th century Assumption Cathedral are clearly visible from Volga. In the 20th century, the cathedral went through some hard times. Many of its unique paintings and icons were irretrievably lost. But there is restoration under way. Hopefully it will return the cathedral to its former luxury and splendor.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9949.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9949.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9949\" width=\"600\" height=\"688\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Serfs who lived in local villages decorated these walls.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9948.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9948.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9948\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The light in Russian churches\u2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9975.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9975.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9975\" width=\"600\" height=\"770\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The altar.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9971.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9971.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9971\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The staircase to the observation deck of the bell tower. Daredevils are rewarded with stunning panoramic views of the city and the Volga.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7199.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7199.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7199\" width=\"600\" height=\"357\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are towns where rain really suits them. A photo session for the soul: Volga and Myshkin from the top of the bell tower.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9952.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9952.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9952\" width=\"600\" height=\"719\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Wooden houses and stone mansions. Volga and rain.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9954.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9954.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9954\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I did pull the clapper \u2014 \u201caccidentally\u201d \u2014 and the sound went up and down the Volga.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9883.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9883.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9883\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Shifting gears from church to vodka. Just how it\u2019s done in Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The museum of great Russian vodochnik <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pyotr_Arsenievich_Smirnov\">Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov<\/a><\/span>, the creator of the world famous <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"http:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/WORLD\/9711\/28\/vodka.wars\/\">Smirnoff<\/a><\/span> brand, the genius of Russian business, the Mendeleev of spirits, was our next stop.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9891.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9891.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9891\" width=\"600\" height=\"625\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Pyotr Smirnov was born on January 9,1831 into the family of a serf\u00a0in Kayurovo village of Myshkinsk district in the Yaroslavl region. Over time, inhabitants of this village moved to big cities in search for a better life and, like many other Russian villages, Kayurovo is now gone. Local Myshkin enthusiasts moved everything they could from Smirnov\u2019s business into this museum.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7289.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7289.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7289\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It is at this table the story of the great Russian vodochnik, as they refer to Smirnov, is told to the tourists.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9998.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9998.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9998\" width=\"600\" height=\"725\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It is the story of a serf who become a millionaire, the story of success and failure, love and heartbreak. \u00a0It is captivating.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9987.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9987.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9987\" width=\"600\" height=\"431\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once we walked through the tasting area and settled in, we heard an emotional account of Pyotr Smirnov\u2019s life and that of how vodka came to be.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9990.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9990.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9990\" width=\"600\" height=\"817\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of a few serfs permitted to attend a local parish school, Pyotr completed his studies in two years. His \u00a0father said \u2014 enough. This school became his only education. At the age of 12, the boy was considered grown up and pulled into the family business.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A year later, Pyotr was sent to Moscow to assist\u00a0his two uncles who obtained manumission from serfdom and owned multiple successful businesses in the capital and the nearby town of Uglich. Their business was intoxication. Smirnovs were purchasing young grape wines from Dagestan and \u201cbringing them up to mind,\u201d i.e. strengthening them with spirits and infusions of roots and herbs. They called that process flavoring.<\/p>\n<p>Pyotr joined the business as a runner providing valuable free labor. His pay was food, bed, and clean clothes. By the age of 16, he had become the right hand man of the owners, even though one of his uncles had six sons of his own.\u00a0By 19, Pyotr made enough money \u2014 53 rubles \u2014 to buy his own manumission.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The uncles relied on Pyotr and looked up to a bright hard working young man. Pyotr saw that and started changing the business. First, he persuaded his uncles to sever ties with Dagestan, because the wines sent from that area were getting worse and prices were getting higher. He suggested to take a chance on something new \u2014 pure alcohol.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Smirnovs purchased alcohol directly from locals who produced it in abundance from potatoes, wheat, beets, blackthorn, berries. They used it to make vodkas, cordials, infusions, bread wine. Pyotr himself developed 148 different kinds of spirits \u2014 liqueurs, sherries, champagnes, madeiras, balms, and even carbonated drinks.<\/p>\n<p>One of Pyotr&#8217;s famous inventions was something that is now called Riga balm.\u00a0Latvian healers created a special herbal concoction that helped the Russian czarina, who suffered from terrible migraines. Pyotr purchased the recipe and infused this concoction with alcohol. It was a huge success and the balm became fashionable in high society.<\/p>\n<p>There was a special line of drinks for women \u2014 light and sweet, infused with cherries, cranberries, elderberries. The sugar percentage was high but, back then, people were happy with their weight \u2014 no matter what it was.<\/p>\n<p>Men were not forgotten either. Smirnov developed 48 different vodka recipes from bitter, as they say \u201ceye-straightening,\u201d to sweet.<\/p>\n<p>That was the time when Tsar Alexander III significantly lowered taxes for manufacturing. Low taxes and cheap raw material made a good foundation for business. Economic policies of Alexander III created quite a few Russian billionaires. And those billionaires put their money back into Russian economy. Pyotr Smirnov alone paid 6 million rubles in taxes annually, enough to support a third of the Russian Army.<\/p>\n<p>Lucky in business, Pyotr was not lucky in life. He was losing his dearest people. His mother died when he was 13. At 16, he married a girl from a nearby village only to lose her three years later to a grueling birth. The baby died, too. Pyotr was heart broken and stayed single until 29.<\/p>\n<p>He immersed himself in business. When Russian courts denied his appeals to become an official provider of Russian spirits abroad, he packed 8 boxes of bread alcohol and a box of wine and headed for the United States. On his own. Without knowing a word of English.<\/p>\n<p>That was considered madness. The family was afraid that showing off would backfire. His heartbroken father even got on his knees:<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Don\u2019t put us to shame. Where are you going with your pig face into a bread aisle? All enlightened Europe will be there. We are free and rich. What else do you need?<\/p>\n<p>He needed recognition. And he got it. At 26, Pyotr came back triumphant. Russian vodka won  its first golden medal from the United States of America, moving Italian and Spanish products to the back of the alcohol scene. He\u00a0would go on to receive 32 more medals.<\/p>\n<p>They called Smirnov the Russian Napoleon of spirits. Dimitry Mendeleev, the Head of the Tsars Alcohol Commission of Russia, called him The Mendeleev of Russian Spirits. Smirnov house opened trade posts in London, Berlin, Helsinki, New York, Madrid, Tokyo, Paris, becoming the top vodka exporter in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after his return from the United States, Pyotr decided to buy a house in Moscow. The house he bought was expensive and quickly created a debt noose around his neck. Not the one to give up, Smirnov set to marry for money. One of his business partners, a wealthy wheat producer, had five daughters. Four younger ones were successfully married. The fifth one and the oldest was already in her 40s and not attractive. To find a suitor, her father doubled the dowry. There are men in Russia who ride without harnessing and Pyotr hustled to be the first at her hand. He showed up without a matchmaker \u2014 a bad move back in the day \u2014 and told her off the bat:<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 I have no emotional attachment to you, but I do have financial problems. I am offering you a stable position in society and my hand but not my heart \u2014 it\u2019s occupied.<\/p>\n<p>He got lucky. He was facing a woman of his own kind. She was educated, bright, interesting, and with a great sense of humor.\u00a0She knew his financial troubles. Everyone in Moscow knew them. All she wanted was to be a mother.\u00a0They both took their chances.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u2014 Can you give me the happiness of motherhood? \u2014 she asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 I will do my best.<\/p>\n<p>And he did. They had nine children. And they were very happy.<\/p>\n<p>She involved all her connections and that of her father to help her husband\u2019s business. At the same time, she stayed in the shade of his glory. She never went out with him, not even once. There is not a single picture of them together.<\/p>\n<p>She brought up her children to worship their father. Being 12 years older, she addressed him with the respectful \u201cvu\u201d as opposed of \u201ctu\u201d their entire life. She was in love with her own husband. She fell in love with her own husband.<\/p>\n<p>For many years, she was his serious commercial supporter. When she died from tuberculosis, at her funeral he said:<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Children, 70% of my success I owe to your mother.<\/p>\n<p>There are no picture of his second wife. But there are pictures of his third one \u2014 the true love of his life. At the age of 48, he married the 16-year-old daughter of his best friend he lost to suicide.\u00a0For 20 years, they lived happily and had four children together.<\/p>\n<p>His third wife was a little girl when she lost her father. Pyotr opened an account in her name to support his friend\u2019s child. The girl went on to become\u00a0an award winning equestrian, a piano virtuoso, impeccable fencer. When, later in life, Smirnov met her and they fell in love, he never told her about his role in her upbringing. He thought it was unnecessary and did not want her to feel obliged. She found out about it only after his death.<\/p>\n<p>Pyotr\u2019s older children abhorred his young wife for taking place of their mother. She was most persecuted by Pyotr\u2019s oldest son. He had a serious reason to hate her \u2014 he was in love with her. And he loved her until his death. Pyotr knew about it but did nothing. A woman can belong to only one person.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately Russia hates its own heroes. The reform of 1895 hit alcohol business with taxes. The taxes were doubled and Pyotr now had to pay 13 million for a 15 million business.<\/p>\n<p>The last account balance he wrote in 1898: 13 million in taxes for 19 million in earnings \u2014 7% in profit. He died in his office from a heart attack. In his will, he wrote: \u201cI depart this life with a heavy heart. I leave all my business in the hands of my oldest son as I took so much from him in this life. All the money I made, I leave for my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pyotr\u2019s oldest son was shot by the Soviets. His second son was chained by Soviets in his own house without any chance to go even to the bathroom. Through a guard, he exchanged his golden watch for vodka and killed himself with what four generations of his family built their fortunes. The third son, Vladimir, managed to escape Russia with the army of Admiral Kolchak. After a failed business attempt in France, he moved to the United States where he introduced Russian vodka to whiskey drinking Americans and became Smirnoff.<\/p>\n<p>In United States, Vladimir met another Russian emigre Rudolph Kunnet. In Russia, Kunnet family supplied grain to Smirnovs back in the day. When prohibition hit, Kunnet tricked Vladimir into signing the rights to distribute Smirnoff vodka cheating him out of business. Vladimir was found dead in with a note in his hand: \u201dI am leaving this life voluntarily. My business is now in hands of my partner Rudolph Kunnet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today Smirnoff is a major brand, distributing vodka to 118 countries around the world.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9993.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9993.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9993\" width=\"600\" height=\"356\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Locals truly believe that the roots of Russian drunkenness start in the town of Myshkin.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9994.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9994.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9994\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And they preserve the details.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9996.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9996.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9996\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Russian oven \u2014 the heart of every home, the foundation of every household. On ovens, they gave birth. On ovens, they slept. On ovens, they died. Ovens fed families and protected from brutal Russian winters.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9995.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9995.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9995\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Intoxication business at a glance.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_9992.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_9992.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 9992\" width=\"600\" height=\"898\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Pyotr himself smoked but did not drink. He always carried two good cigars with him. People like this were referred to as those with good taste.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7287.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7287.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7287\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Vodka and bread alcohol were two different things. Vodka 19 proof and up was a cheap product. Smirnov worked only with high quality bread alcohol infusing it with his own herb recipes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7302.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7302.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7302\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Most expensive bottles of the 19th century were made of thin glass that\u2019s why most of them are lost, as they are easily broken. Here\u2019s Myshkin&#8217;s collection of thin glass.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7303.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7303.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7303\" width=\"600\" height=\"743\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ceramic bottles for the distribution of that special Riga Balm that cured the tzarina\u2019s headaches.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7304.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7304.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7304\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In tsarist Russia, no one put vodka on the table in a bottle \u2014 only in a special vodka carafe. To drink it they used lafitnik \u2014 a classic Russian shot glass. To this day, every Russian owns one. My grandmother used it to measure her heart medications.<\/p>\n<p>For men, a lafitnik was 50 grams, for women \u2014 25-30 grams. The smallest lafitnik \u2014 10 grams \u2014 was called \u201cmukha\u201d or a fly. They don\u2019t make the little ones any more, but that particular size produced many special sayings carried to this day:\u00a0\u201cto swat the fly\u201d or to take a shot, \u201cto walk under a fly\u201d or to walk around tipsy, \u201cto sit and squish flies\u201d a nice conversation in the kitchen taking shot, after shot, after shot \u2014 a favorite pastime activity in Russia since <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eugene_Onegin\">Onegin<\/a><\/span>\u2019s times.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7320.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7320.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7320\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Some sayings on museum walls that might \u2014 or might not \u2014 need extra explanation:<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cNeat appearance, grammatically correct speech, and alcoholism will always be in vogue!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cIf you\u2019re in a bad mood, add yourself some whisky. Right now! Right into your soup!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7326.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7326.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7326\" width=\"600\" height=\"406\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cMojito Myshkin style: vodka + dill.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cPlease give me a splash of some liquid adventurism!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cDon\u2019t expect miracles, make them yourself.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cNo matter where you go, make sure to have with you a corkscrew and a phone charger.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7327.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7327.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7327\" width=\"600\" height=\"633\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cThe best social network is THREEHUNDREDgrams\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cAll roads lead to Myshkin.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cCome on in, don\u2019t be afraid \u2014 but don\u2019t cry when you have to leave.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>\u201cA woman is not alcohol, divorced one is not a weak one.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> (In Russian language \u201cdiluted\u201d and \u201cdivorced\u201d are the same word.)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7293.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7293.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7293\" width=\"600\" height=\"468\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A little degustation of local product before we bid farewell to this house.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7328.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7328.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7328\" width=\"600\" height=\"383\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When we got out of the museum, the weather turned for the better and the sun came out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0002.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0002.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0002\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The magic vibe of Myshkin town. Real provincial Russia \u2014 simple roads, simple houses, but you look at all this and feel rested.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7332.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7332.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7332\" width=\"600\" height=\"392\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We headed back to my favorite house for more experiences.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0022.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0022.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0022\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>At home, Sergei started the mangal grill and got the kabob show on the road.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0010.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0010.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0010\" width=\"600\" height=\"718\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Tanya made sure that the banya got started. See that little cloud of smoke over the chimney? It\u2019s getting hot over there.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0019.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0019.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0019\" width=\"600\" height=\"834\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The heart of banya. This is where the heat comes from.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0015.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0015.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0015\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s getting ready. There are three levels in Myshkin banya. Each next one is hotter than the lower one. It is more hot to sit on the bench than lie on it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0012.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0012.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0012\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Tanya had all the bases covered. She brought felt covers to protect our heads and hair from severe banya heat. A special one for me \u2014 <strong><em>\u201cBorn in the USSR.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0024.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0024\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And we got in. This is the start \u2014 flat on the lowest level.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0021.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0021.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0021\" width=\"600\" height=\"712\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Unaccustomed to the heat, we took frequent breaks in predbannik generously stocked up with food and water.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0027.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0027.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0027\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When the temperature started going down, after one of the breaks, I brought in my phone. It was still pretty hot. The thermometer is level with the lower bench.\u00a0After the door was opening and closing letting the heat out, the temperature dropped to 88\u00b0C which is 190\u00b0F.<\/p>\n<p>I was the only one to risk level two, first, lying on the bench, then, sitting for a few minutes. The third level was out of question.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0074.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0074.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0074\" width=\"600\" height=\"716\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And of course, a traditional vodka shot to round up the banya experience.<\/p>\n<p>As my grandmother used to say:<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 How much do I need? Not that much \u2014 just to get flirty. Not much, but often.<\/p>\n<p>Every time she filled her lafitnichek, she\u2019d say:<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Well, this is to make my eyes shine.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7350 2.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7350-2.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7350 2\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As we were being cleaned up and having a good time in banya, Tanya and Sergei set up my favorite table, the one under the red lampshade.<\/p>\n<p>Tom was making sure the product we were served was of top quality.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0095.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0095.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0095\" width=\"600\" height=\"455\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Food of gods.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional Russian \u201c<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thesalt\/2014\/02\/14\/277043707\/drink-vodka-eat-pickles-repeat-mastering-the-zakuski-spread\">zakuski pod vodochku<\/a><\/span>\u201d \u2014 little snacks to help vodka go down \u2014 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Salo_(food)\">salo<\/a><\/span> or salted pork belly, boiled potatoes, pickles, and greens. The best food in the world! How much I missed it.<\/p>\n<p>And Tanya\u2019s pickles are the best pickles.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_7366.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_7366.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 7366\" width=\"600\" height=\"504\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There is nothing like a table under the red lampshade in a cozy house where you feel welcome. And family and great friends from childhood around the table. Going through old memories, new troubles, laughing. Being.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0099.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0099.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0099\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After banya and dinner, we ventured out into the night Myshkin.\u00a0This is a house of another Smirnov, Pavel Efremovich. This Smirnov gave Myshkin its own appeal of a rich merchant town where every house is special with elaborate wooden carvings, mezzanines, and decorations.<\/p>\n<p>The boats took off. Merchants closed their carts. The moonlight trailed across the Volga.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" title=\"IMG_0104.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_0104.jpeg\" alt=\"IMG 0104\" width=\"600\" height=\"817\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Myshkin is a town of daylight. It\u2019s so different in the dark \u2014 no one\u2019s outside, no lights. You can hardly see anything.<\/p>\n<p>We returned home for our last night at this magical house. Wish we could spend more time in this town,\u00a0wander its streets with no hurry, and some more time around the table, under the red lampshade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2014 Go look around the house. It\u2019s different in the morning, \u2014\u00a0Tanya said when I waddled into the kitchen still in my pajamas. It was. At night, the circle of chairs in the living room on the second floor set the mood for a conversation&nbsp;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/2020\/04\/04\/trip-to-russia-day-6-myshkin-volga-banya-vodka\/\">&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,6,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cooking-at-home","category-movies","category-comfort-zone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2785"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3886,"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785\/revisions\/3886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juliacore.com\/beyondthebarre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}