Day 2 - to Borovitchi

our slightly flash with Soviet tendencies - but nicely down by the lake

Lenin in the park - complete with swastika!

Before we headed out of town this morning, we went to the Bell Museum.  Now Valday was once a producer of small bells for carriages - the "jingle bells" variety that were on the sleighs - they were quite loud and were used to warn people of the approach of a fast vehicle.  Later they started producing larger bells.  It was actually a very interesting museum and the guide - the local bell ringer (bit of eye candy too) was also very informative.  it was interesting to realise that when we see bell ringers swinging on those long ropes, they are actually swinging the bell to hit the clanger - whilst the bells in Russia now are made after the Belgium and Nederlands variety, where the clanger is moved against the bells and as such much easier to make chime.  He played a quick melody on about 7 bells - the room being circular the sound totally bounced off the walls and vibrated thru our bodies - it was quite an experience.  But now, all the bells in Russian are being made in a couple of the larger cities and no bells are made in Valday any more.  ain't that the way!

C'mon, surely you can cope with one more wonderfully decorated home!

rare church - the only one seen today (I think)

 (with just one stop along the way - there was no time for taking photos! - sorry!!!)

so onto our bikes and heading (apparently I found out later) to the north-east, while I could have sworn it was to the south-west - yep still lost in my head!  The road was busy but in such good nick, we fly along.  Then we turned off the main road - what was it going to be like??  but still all good!  it was quite hot and today a head wind or slightly to the side - not too bad, tho one gust nearly wobbled me a tad - was ever present and made things just a bit harder and tiring  We had 30km to ride to our first meal stop - but that turned into 40km and we were all close to bonking - I mean breakfast at 7:30 and then lunch at 1:30....  so we all spoke and made it clear we need an earlier meal break - 30km would have been fine, but that extra 10km was a killer.  So Andrey truck's appearance at a bus stop around a corner was a most welcome sight and a banana grabbed and gobbled down to stop the shaky legs.  hopefully this won't happen again.

smooth roads - noice!!!!!

Lunch break at last!

we rode most through forest and abandoned farmlands.  There were swamps throughout, but not any really big lakes or rivers.  it was pretty country generally and I really enjoyed riding along listening to the birds.  Its a bit sad to see farmlands just under the feral hog weed - this large and poisonous plant is 'taking over the worrrrrld' here!  I guess the farmlands were appropriated during the Soviet times and just haven't been allocated back to the villages - or maybe the young people never came back to the village to reclaim their farmlands.  but it is rather sad.  I did see hay stooks - ie loose hay piled up in a couple of yards - and we have seen hay bales back near Suzdal region, but nothing quite as modern out this way.  There were still some villages to ride through, but no churches peeping out from the forests.  perhaps there are no churches out this way!
so our 70km ride turned into a 83km ride - ain't that the way??  so feeling a bit tired - even tho we had a big snack at our 40km stop, it was hard to get those legs pumping again.  It does have a very Finnish flavour, Karina - but Matias will recognise it more as an Estonian/Latvia feel - similar run down feel to it - Finland was a bit ahead of that - and the Finnish people are much friendlier.  We get an occasional shy smile!

But we did have an encounter with a very friendly Russian today.  at one of our turn-offs in a small village we were bailed up by a rather drunk youngish man - probably mid 30's - drinking vodka moonshine out of a 1.25 litre soft drink bottle.  He gave us all kisses and wanted us to take a drink out of his bottle - kept saying Russian Russian!!  - just as well none of us are smokers as lighting up a match there could have set off WWIII I reckon.  we eventually escaped his clutches and we were back on the road again.

saw some road kill today - a pretty Jay had been knocked for a 6, not long before we rode past and a rather squashed skarta (magpie).  I saw a squashed toad - probably not a cane toad - and also - poor little thing - a mole.  but generally there hasn't been any road kill before.  but I hear all sorts of peeps and squeaks as ride through the forest and wish I could remember who was calling.  Oh Anders, by the way - have seen several steglitsa - (gold finch) flittering alongside the road and sitting on fence posts.  but no storks or swans...  yes, we do have them.....  but apparently not where we are!
The further away we got from Valday (Summit centre & Putin's summer grounds) the more the road deteriorated - but it stayed top-notch for the whole day - just a few holes and cracks as we approached Borovitchi.  now apart from going in the opposite direction than I thought, according to gps - we were lowering our altitude - sure!  there was one nice downhill ride, but I thought there were more ups than downs - but I was wrong - apparently we started at 226m and now we are down to 77m  - but tomorrow we are climbing back up again - I wish I didn't know that!  big ride tomoz - they say 110km so chuck another 10km on the end and I am thinking I will be pooped tomorrow night, so maybe an earlier night tonight - but when will that sun go down??  have aircon cranked up and its fanning, but not cooling - its 9:15 but the sun is still shining very brightly outside - could be 4pm - so its hard to think about sleeping when its so late!

so we eventually rode into the small township of Borovitch, 53,000 pop so quite a large town.  We are staying at the best hotel around I believe - and at last an exhaust fan in the bathroom - man these inner bathrooms without a fan can be soooo breathless and Hot!!  unfortunately the aircon sounds good, but not pumping out much cool air - and yep there's a doona on the bed and no sheet.  Will be sleeping under my sarong again tonight - thanks Jo W for that tip - always take a sarong!!  too right!!!

willing workers to the good cause - statue outside our hotel