• This is representative of the 'dachas' we saw on our bus ride to Sergiev Posad, the location of Russia's most important monastery. A dacha is a country home for city dwellers and usually has no plumbing (think 'outhouse'). They were built on land given to every citizen in the Soviet era.

• Another dacha

• Less common, an 'upscale' dacha

• The only stop we made on the way to Sergiev Posad was so the photographers among us could get out of the bus to photograph the 'cute' dacha. Kathryn captured the moment from the bus.

• Next door to the cute dacha

• A 'drive-by' photo of a bank in Sergiev Posad

• The monastery at Sergiev Posad from an overlook a short distance away

• The monastery is named after St. Sergii of Radonezh, a 14th century monk from Rostov

• The monastery at Sergiev Posad. 'Posad' is Russian for 'settlement'. So, Sergiev Posad is translated Sergiev's Settlement.

• The monastery at Sergiev Posad

• The monastery at Sergiev Posad

• Doug & Kathryn at Sergiev Posad

• The path to the entrance to the monastery is lined with permanent little shops

• A shop selling colorful garments

• A workman scraping grooves in the concrete walk leading to the monastery

• A young mother with her baby leaving the monastery, possibly after receiving a blessing with the holy water of St. Sergius' well.

• Fortress wall and tower with the Church of St. John the Baptist (1692-99) behind it

• The monastery fortress wall with, from left to right, the bell tower, blue and gold domes of the Cathedral of the Assumption, and the Church of St. John the Baptist.

• Frescos in the entrance passageway

• The Church of St. John the Baptist

• The Church of St. John the Baptist

• The Church of St. John the Baptist

• While our Moscow guide 'guided' our group at the monastery, it was required that we have a local guide accompany us. This is our monastery guide.

• The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (1422-27) at Sergiev Posad. This was the inspiration for the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Kremlin.

• The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity at Sergiev Posad

• The Cathedral of the Assumption (1559) at Sergiev Posad was inspired by the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Kremlin, bringing it full-circle.

• The Cathedral of the Assumption

• Domes of the Cathedral of the Assumption

• A fresco on the Cathedral of the Assumption

• The tomb of Boris Godunov, who ruled Russia from 1598 to 1605. He is the only tsar not buried in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Also buried here are his wife Maria, son Feodor and daughter Xenia.

• The chapel over the well of St. Sergius

• The chapel over the well of St. Sergius

• The chapel over the well of St. Sergius. The blue dome with the gold stripe in the background is the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (1476-77).

• The Church of Virgin of Smolensk (ca 1750). The white spire with the gold dome in the background is the Church of Saints Savvati and Zosim (1635-37)

• The Bell Tower (1740-70)

• The Bell Tower (1740-70)

• The Bell Tower

• The Bell Tower

• The Church of St. Sergius (1686-92), located at the east end of the Refectory

• Inside the Refectory

• Inside the Refectory

• Icons inside the Refectory

• A chandelier in the Refectory

• A chandelier in the Refectory

• Inside the Church of St. Sergius

• Icon inside the Church of St. Sergius

• Icons inside the Church of St. Sergius

• Ceiling fresco in the Church of St. Sergius

• This is the residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. He is more or less the equivalent of the Pope for the Roman Catholic Church.

• We learned a lot about the Russian Orthodox Church, including that cell phones are not forbidden.

• Texting?

• There were many women worshipping in the monastery on the day we visited

• This little girl was obviously curious about the different clothes, camera bags, etc., on us Americans. She was very cute examining us as her Mom and friends stood by.

• A Russian Orthodox Monk

• The former Tsar Palace is now the Museum at the monastery. It has an amazing collection of icons and other artifacts. No photos of the collection were permitted.

• Tsar Palace/Museum detail

• Tsar Palace/Museum detail

• A ceiling fresco in the Museum. We were permitted photos in this area outside the Museum collection.

• In the Museum building

• Homes in the town of Sergiev Posad

• Part of Sergiev Posad as viewed from the highway as we departed

• Part of Sergiev Posad as viewed from the highway as we departed

• A 'drive-by' photo of a home or dacha

• The countryside on our bus ride was pastoral and pretty. Forests, which we were told consisted of birch (Russia's national tree), fir, pine, and larch, and fields of hay, were common along the ride.

• Countryside along our drive back to Moscow

• A hay field and bales of hay

• This is a bit more than $3 per gallon for the highest priced fuel

• In the outskirts of Moscow

• This 'drive-by' photo in the outskirts of Moscow shows housing typical of that built after WW II. We were told by our guides that the people who moved into these apartments were very happy with the improvement in their standard of living.

• Some modern architecture in Moscow

• A factory in Moscow