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Ryazan'

Our stay in Irkutsk ended on July 2nd. Early that morning a bus came to our dormitory and took us to the airport. At the airport we checked our luggage (some had to pay extra because we were only allowed 42 lbs.), went through security, and departed for Moscow. Five hours later we were retrieving our luggage from Sheremetyevo I (Moscow's domestic airline terminal). The bus from Ryazan' State Pedagogical University was waiting for us along with its driver, Ivan, and my friend, Oleg Sonin, a student at RSPU. We loaded our luggage on the bus and headed for Ryazan' - with a short stop at McDonald's in southeast Moscow.

By mid-afternoon we were in Ryazan' preparing to move into the student dormitory on Kasimovskii Shosse. We discovered that the conditions at the dorm were really not suitable for us so Lena made arrangements for all of the group, except Kathleen and I, to be moved to the Teacher Retraining University dormitory rather close to Sasha and Lena's house. The room that Kathleen and I stayed in was very nice. Anyway, our stay in Ryazan' and begun. The photos below portray that experience.

	Our first full day in Ryazan' began with a meeting with two Vice Rectors of Ryazan' State Pedagogical University. After that meeting, one of the Vice Rectors took us on a tour of the university facilities. We missed Rector Liferov who was ill. Here we are in the back yard of the university listening to the Vice Rector.
	Within the last two years, RSPU has begun a Religious Studies Program and as part of that, the Russian Orthodox Church built this small church behind the university.
	Ryazan' has its own Kremlin inside which is a monastery, a cluster of museums, and this huge cathedral. What I like about this cathedral is that it can bee seen from great distances from Ryazan' because it sites on the south, high bank of the Oka River. It is a particular dramatic sight from the north.
	Another view of the cathedral and some adjacent buildings.
	This is the monastery in the Kremlin. It is in the process of being populated by monks and will be closed to the public in the near future.
	A short distance away from, but outside the Kremlin. is this small church.
	Many Russian cities continue to have outdoor markets. There are several in Ryazan', but this is the largest and is the Central Market. It consists of hundreds of stalls, each selling items ranging from shoes to hats to hardware to food. This is the north end of the market.
	This is more or less the central part of the market. It goes beyond the rise in the background another 100 yards or so.
	In 1999, when the first group of teachers participated in the Ryazan' Seminar, one of the teachers - Kay Ryan - dubbed this shop as the "Button Store." It has held that name ever since. Yet, the store actually has a name as shown in the window. It is "The Old Crossroad." It is my understanding that it became known to our teachers as the "Button Store" because one could purchase buttons there. Indeed, there are a handful of buttons that are available, but it also contains a wide variety of other merchandise.
	One of our tours while in Ryazan' was to the town of Kasimov. This city, historically, was the home of a large number of Tatars, but only a very small percent remain. Yet, the current inhabitants are proud of the congenial association that Russian and Tatars had in this city. Because of the Tatar influence - they were Muslims - this mosque is located in Kasimov and is not open to tourists as a museum. We climbed the minaret during our tour.
	From near the top of the minaret, our guide tells us the history of Kasimov.
	Kasimov is located on the high, north bank of the Oka River. From the minaret one has a beautiful view of the city and the river valley. It is a very beautiful setting.
	Over time, several Tatar Muslim leaders lived in Kasimov. They are now buried in this mausoleum located toward to river from the mosque.
	Following our tour of the city, we were taken on a boat ride on the Oka River. Because of the high north bank on which Kasimov is located, we had an excellent view of the city.
	The photo above and this one show us as we are just getting ready to depart on the boat ride.
	As we move along the river, our guide presents more information about the city. The next few photos are of the city as it appears along the north bank as well as a few other views.
	A lonely fisherman on the Oka.
	The Oka looking up stream with a small portion of Kasimov on the right.
	One of the building along the shore.
	Several churches are prominent in the city skyline. This is one of them.
	Kasimov city skyline.
	This church is very important because it contains the tomb of Alexander Nevskii - a significant figure in early Russian history because he protected northwest Russia from the Teutonic Knights.
	Another church along the way.
	I liked the reflection of the church on the river.
	Another reflection scene.
	Yet another reflection scene.
	One more reflection scene.
	The Tatar mosque from the boat.
	A nice view of the central part of Kasimov.
	Another view of central Kasimov from the river.
	Following the boat ride we were treated to a wonder banquet-type meal with a variety of fruits, vegetables, soups, meat, and drink. The setting was very pleasant - in an open balcony overlooking the Oka River. As we frequently said, "Who would have ever thought we would be doing such-and-such?"
	Here we are eating. What a great experience!
	From left: Kathleen, Mike, Mary, Connie, Cody, Paula, Paul, Karen, Gail, and Phyllis. As you can tell, the sunny side of the table was a bit warm so most sat in the shade. Yes, it can get warm in Russia.
	As we prepared to leave Kasimov, our host wanted to take us to what he considered to be two of the prettiest places in Russia - a holy spring and a lake. Here is the spring. The two structures are a small church - the one in the back - and a small bathhouse. The bathhouse covered a pool in which people bathed to take advantage of the holy water. It is said to benefiting one's health.
	While we were at the spring, other people were there bathing in the pool and filling containers with the holy water. Here Lena is filling her bottle. Other are lined up to do the same.
	This is Mary filling her bottle.
	We are now at the lake. Our group is looking around and listening to our host tell us about the place. This lake is noted as an important training place for Olympic-style boat racing - I don't know what it is called.
	This is the lake. It was a very pretty setting.
	While we were at the lake, our bus driver, Ivan, had to take care of some bus repair business. It wasn't running as smoothly as it normally did. After a short session with the bus, Ivan drove us back to Ryazan', a distance of about 160 kilometers.
	Another tour was to Konstantinovo. This small village is located on the high, south bank of the Oka river to the northwest of Ryazan'. A wonderful view of the Oka Valley can be seen from here. This is looking to the northwest.
	This is looking toward the northeast. The Oka flows to the right.
	Here is our group looking out across the vast expanses of the Oka Valley. Lena tells us that each spring this who area floods as the snow melt fills the river and it leaves its natural channel and fills the flood plain.
	On our way back from Konstantinovo to Ryazan, we stopped in Ribnoye and ate a wonderful meal in the Golden Horseshoe Restaurant. I thought this was one of the best meals we had during our entire stay.
	These types of meals were commonplace while we were in Russia. Our Russian hosts took care of us in very special ways, one of which was providing plenty of nutritious food.
	Our last evening in Ryazan' and Russia was spent in Sasha and Lena's apartment. They had prepared some great food that we ate while watching the video of entire trip that Sasha had taken as we traveled.
	Cody reflecting on our experience and contemplating what life would be like when he returned home.
	Karen, Phyllis, and Paula watching the video.
	Kathleen and Lena looking from the hallway and Todd. Lena and her husband traveled with us across Siberia. There assistance was greatly appreciated. We truly enjoyed their association. While they were gone, there little girl, Alyona was cared for by Lena's parents.
	Mary, Connie, and Gail enjoying their last evening in Russia.
	Lena showing Mike and Paul photos of the 1999 Ryazan' Seminar experience. Mike participated in that one so this was his second time to Russia and Ryazan'.
	Gail, Mike, and Paul watching Sasha's video. What a wonderful trip!!!