Wednesday, October 16, 2019
This morning we arrived in Mandrogi on the Svir River between Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga, the largest freshwater lake in Europe. Mandrogi was a Karelian mill town and fishing settlement that was entirely destroyed during World War II. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russian investors purchased the land and invited woodworkers to restore the town (1996-1999), making it an open-air museum and resort. It seems regional arts and crafts specialists have been invited to live and work here. It is conveniently located where river cruises are passing by anyway, but at this time of year things are shutting down.
There were no included shore excursions today, only two optional excursions to paint your own Matryoshka doll or experience a banya. We spent the morning exploring the area, while it snowed!
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| The Herb Barn |
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| Three cows in the garden were soon shooed out |
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| Several huge open-air market stalls, closed today |
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| One of the crafts buildings, each holding 2-3 craft workshops |
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| Pottery sculpture behind the pottery workshop |
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| The outdoor blacksmith forge |
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| Metal raptor sculpture (KSS) |
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| Some of the blacksmith wares, plus furs |
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| A tin woodsman |
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| Sort of a boat swing |
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| Birch bark art decorates small containers |
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| Windmill |
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| The "yacht dock" |
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| A Boyar mansion; the Boyars were a privileged class of rich landowners during 9-15C Russia |
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| A church in the woods across an arm of the Svir River |
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| The snow is sticking to the ground! |
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| A guest house (KSS) |
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| Ferry dock and ferry |
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| Basketball and tennis courts |
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| Such a tiny basketball backboard! |
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| Entrance to the ferry to Lukomorye |
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