Global Food Tour

Chapter 350 An illusion of being in the Middle Ages.

Zhang Feng slept soundly that night, even though the door was always accompanied by the sound of opening and closing the door.

At around five o'clock, Zhang Feng's alarm clock started working.

It only takes a little over 20 minutes to walk from the hotel to the Moscow Railway Station. Zhang Feng found the ticket hall under the guidance of passers-by.First, he tried to complete the payment at the automatic ticket vending machine, and then the volunteer guy on the side told Zhang Feng that the Yuyu train was leaving very soon and could only buy it at the manual ticket window on the side.Fortunately, there weren't many people.When we arrived at Zhang Feng, Zhang Feng told the friendly ticket seller the train information. She also took out her calendar to confirm the train date with Zhang Feng and issued the ticket smoothly.

All in all, this morning was like a war. Fortunately, when the high-speed train to Veliky Novgorod started, Zhang Feng was already sitting by the rainy car window.

Novgorod｜Новгород
There were not many people on the train, and within three hours, Zhang Feng took a short rest, and the train stopped at Veliky Novgorod Railway Station.

What caught my eye was an old train station, just like this city, which made Zhang Feng couldn't help but smile on his face.

This city is a special place for Russia.This is a proud city because this is the birthplace of Russia.

In 862 AD, Grand Duke Rurik announced the beginning of what is now the Russian state - the Rurik dynasty continued to rule Russia for more than 750 years.Here is the first permanent settlement of the Varyag Norse who founded the early Russian state.By the 12th century it was the largest city in Russia.Sturdy and austere church buildings, icon paintings and epic ballads will form the unique style of this city.

Novgorod escaped the iron heels of the Mongols—the Tatars sank into the swamps around the city—but it suffered the most damage in the hands of other Russians.Ivan III of Moscow attacked and annexed the city in 1477, while Ivan the Terrible's berserk army razed it to the ground and killed 6 Novgorod residents in a brutal massacre.Ultimately, the founding of St. Petersburg ended its status as a trading center.

Zhang Feng's visit to this city, of course, began with Novgorod Castle.But Zhang Feng didn't know how to describe the weather of this day other than "terrible".

Navigating from the train station to the castle, it can be reached in 20 minutes.But Zhang Feng felt that it was really not an easy task to move forward in the cold wind and rain.

After entering the gate of the castle, Zhang Feng saw the tomb of unmanned soldiers from World War II, and the eternal flame was burning in the rain.

The Russian Millennium Monument depicts 127 figures cast from thick bronze, including rulers, statesmen, artists, scholars, etc.

There are churches, bell towers, and museums showing the history of the ancient city in the castle.Among them, Hagia Sophia is the most famous.

Hagia Sophia was built in 1045 on the model of Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, and it is the oldest existing building in Russia.

The interior of the church is dark and ancient, with a heavy feeling that is hard to imagine from the outside.The walls are covered with watercolor murals, among which the remaining murals on the dome of the patio in front of the altar are works from the 12th century.Facing the altar, on the right is the famous 12th-century icon of the Praying Virgin.On the right side of the altar hangs a "limestone cross", which was made to commemorate the victory of the Kulikovo War.The Hagia Sophia is used as the cemetery of the grand dukes and nobles. The southwest of the church is the cemetery of the Grand Duke Vladimir who built the church and his mother Anna.The outer wall on the west side is engraved with the biblical story "Bronze Gate", which is said to have been moved from the Sigtuna Fortress in Sweden in 1187.On the east side is the bell tower built in 1437, displaying the abandoned bell.

However, it is forbidden to take pictures in the church, Zhang Feng can only try to remember the places that make his heart move.

After buying the ticket, Zhang Feng went up to the castle wall and the viewing platform of the bell tower, but after Zhang Feng went up, he found that the viewing angle was really ordinary.The Volkhov River in the rain passes through Veliky Novgorod, and the hazy light and shadow are mixed with the colors of the light yellowed vegetation.

On the east bank of the Volkhov River, there are many simple churches left over from the Middle Ages. Most of them are simple and small, which will not surprise people. But when Zhang Feng walked around these onion-headed buildings in the rain, he felt a sense of belonging The illusion of the Middle Ages.

In addition to the castle in the center of the city, Veliky Novgorod is also worth visiting St. George's Monastery and the nearby wooden museum.Before going, Zhang Feng went to the post office with the help of the navigation, and chose a few postcards he liked.A sister at the post office speaks English very well, and chatted with Zhang Feng.She told Zhang Feng that although the city is not big and not as famous as St. Petersburg, it is a quiet small city.Zhang Feng smiled at her and told her that he likes it here, but today's weather is really not cute.She also smiled at Zhang Feng to show comfort.

With her help, Zhang Feng also knew that going to St. George's Monastery here is not only possible by taxi, so Zhang Feng chose the bus at her suggestion.

Zhang Feng was standing on the bus platform, behind him was a group of local people who were waiting for the bus like Zhang Feng.A slightly disheveled boy kept smiling at Zhang Feng, and began to chat in his broken English.After waiting for a long time, the bus to St. George's Monastery finally arrived late.The little brother got into the car with Zhang Feng, and he finally sat down next to Zhang Feng.

Zhang Feng got off the car at the destination and said goodbye to his brother.During travel, the separation from passers-by is often forgotten in the rivers and lakes, but the touch and warmth at that time are treasured in memory.

Behind St. George's Abbey is the unremarkable Lake Ilmen.

The wooden building museum next to it was built on the banks of the Volkhov River. It was established in 1964 and consists of more than 20 wooden buildings from the 14th to 19th centuries shipped from all over the country.

After shopping around, Zhang Feng realized that it was getting late, so he hurried to the bus stop in front of the museum to wait for the bus back to the city. Unexpectedly, after waiting for 40 minutes, the bus finally picked up the anxious Zhang Feng.

After eating some hot food at McDonald's near the train station, Zhang Feng, who was wet and cold, was finally warmed up.

The train arrived at St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway Station on time. Back at the hotel, it should be said that in the hotel, Zhang Feng was exhausted and fell asleep soon.

Return to Petersburg｜Петербург
Zhang Feng had breakfast at the Pan-Asian restaurant near the hotel.Pan-Asian is a very broad geographical concept, which includes all kinds of dishes in Asia, such as Japanese, Chinese, and Thai dishes, all of which are excellent on the table here.

Zhang Feng ordered Kung Pao Chicken and spring rolls, which were sweet.It has some Asian taste, but Zhang Feng still finds it strange that some things really change their taste when they go abroad, because they don't have the opportunity to flog themselves, and it is generally difficult to find someone to try.

(End of this chapter)