Just an amazing place.
A land of contrasts from a horse pulling a single shear plough in a field next to a wooden house, old people sitting in front of their houses watching the time go by with their chickens and geese wandering around, a young boy chopping wood for his grandmother, to the other extreme of John Deere tractors and air-seeder rigs putting in winter wheat before it snows and headers taking off crops for sale and feed just around the corner.
A stream of traffic on the main road. Don’t know where they are from or going but one truck yesterday was from the Czechoslovakian republic.
Wells in the street for water, old ladies carrying buckets of water home, smoke from little cottage chimneys as the birch forest turn to magnificent oranges and reds.
Old town, girls in high heals and mini shirts. Adam says.
Monuments to the fallen in fighting the Germans are dotted everywhere and we went past our local main town Pochep one day when they were celebrating the day of liberation. When we went past the next day it was clear they had had a very good time.
Most of the communal farms have broken down, and it is sad to see the loss of infrastructure and family life.
Many of the houses in the towns are painted vivid colours of bright greens, blues, purples, yellows and it really suits them.
Everyone is exceedingly welcoming and we are enjoying the challenge and as Sean said one day; “ When we come back in 3 years time there will be a large feedlot and abattoirs on these sites, and we told them where to put it”. We shake ourselves every morning, and still can’t believe we are in Russia, real Russia by being out in the sticks as we are.
We have met so many genuine people, from shopkeepers to vets and university teachers, and have seen things because of this job that regular tourists wouldn’t see.
Love from Albert and team
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