As we neared Moscow the cities began to be larger. Yaroslavl is a city of about 600,000 people. It was founded in 1010, so its 1000th anniversary is coming up in two years. Yaroslavl was founded on the site of an earlier pagan village. The legend is that the pagans kept a bear in a cage and worshipped it as the progenitor of humankind. When the Russian’s arrived they challenged the pagans, and the bear was killed with a battleaxe. The emblem of the city is a standing bear with a battleaxe on it’s shoulder.
It was a very comfortable day in Yaroslavl – around 70 degrees – and we were again in a city big enough that we were encountering wedding parties just as we had in Saint Petersburg.We saw perhaps a dozen brides being photographed at the same scenic points that we were visiting.
It was also in Yaroslavl that we saw a bell performance outside the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery. I was stunned at how the bell ringer controlled all but one of the bells with the fingers of his left hand. Only the largest bell was controlled by his right hand.
It was a very comfortable day in Yaroslavl – around 70 degrees – and we were again in a city big enough that we were encountering wedding parties just as we had in Saint Petersburg.We saw perhaps a dozen brides being photographed at the same scenic points that we were visiting.
It was also in Yaroslavl that we saw a bell performance outside the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery. I was stunned at how the bell ringer controlled all but one of the bells with the fingers of his left hand. Only the largest bell was controlled by his right hand.
I made a video of part of this performance but my “P.H.D.” camera (Push here, dummy!) doesn’t do a great job of videos. I believe that one member of our tour videotaped it. If that video shows up on YouTube I’ll add a reference to it here.
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