The Ducha

We are back in Moscow after a fantastic time in the Ducha. It is a traditional cottage near Drezna, about 80 km east of Moscow. It is one of many Dachas in the area – some are very rough and some new ones are very modern.

Zoya was very apologetic for the lack of modern facilities but we loved it. It is like another world. She obviously loves it there too.

The first evening we went to another Ducha and had a magnificent tea (see picture). It included lots of toasts, singing and merriment. A great night. I tried to regulate my drinks but next morning 4 people asked me how my head was !

The next day we walked about 2 km to a forest where all Kathy’s dreams came true. Eg. the birch trees her grandmother loved. There were many sorts of mushrooms – three of which we kept. There were raspberries, bilberries, other berries and a wonderful, damp, mossy environment.

We spent other days working on the garden, etc for Zoya. We really enjoyed helping. Brian even replaced the glass in 4 windows which Zoya really appreciated. We went for lots of walks (Kathy saw lots of flowers that she’d only seen in her childhood garden before) and met friends of Zoya’s.

Back in Moscow it was showers all around, washing and organising. Today we had a great day at the summer house of Katherine the Second’s.

Tomorrow we head to Bryansk.

Love to everyone…………..Brian and Kathy