Sokol

In my first year Nadine told me of a village of wooden houses in Sokol (the next district to Voykovskaya towards the city) which was built about a hundred years ago. Somehow we have not found time to go exploring, but today is Defender of the Motherland day or Men's Day so a public holiday. We have just enjoyed fireworks from the appartment window.

The temperature is right up and it is trying to thaw and snow at the same time, but underred we caught the tram and bus to Sokol. The main road is a mess with road works that have been going on for years, but step back one road and it is a completly different place.

Our first stop  was the church of All Saints. It was built in tge 19th century for the village of All Saints, long disappeared.

Then we crossed the road and into the village. It was built in the 1920s and is known as the artists' village (because of the names of the roads not for who lived and worked there).

Alexander Gerasimov's palace built in 1938 (a soviet painter)

The cottages are in all styles and mostly made of wood with dormer windows and steep roofs. Many are looking rather dilapidated and are being replaced with modern dacha style buildings. They looked delightful and in the middle of the village you have to look into the distance to see any high rise buildings. It is amazing it has survivied.

In the centre of the village where several roads meet is a stream with little metal bridges to cross. All frozen now but there.

Once again the weather was closing in and we headed home. I am so pleased we found it and plan to return in the summer to what it looks like then.

Weather permitting we set off for one or two more adventures before school and work come again.