13th of October, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Russia.
What are our mistakes made for? How to find a balance between regret and learning from them? My experience in Tver was beautiful but still, I wander if I could’ve acted differently. And what would’ve been the consequences if I had it?
This text was also lost together lost and what you will read next are the recollections of a 15 months gap. So, please, forgive the missing parts. And that includes my hitchhiking experience.
I arrive by hitchhiking in Tver. I have decided to go straight to St. Catherine’s Convent and ask to stay there tonight, so I can visit the city tomorrow. It was supposed to be a simple plan…
The convent is very beautiful! I decide I will take photos tomorrow, and focus on getting a place to stay first. The nuns get a young lady who can speak English. I explain everything to her. Even though they all seem very eager to help me, for some reason I cannot stay in the convent. But the nuns will not let me leave without finding me a place to stay. And that’s when I think I should’ve left anyway and refused to accept their help.
Why? Because instead of finding another place for me to stay for free, they actually got me a hotel room. They insisted very much and they were adamant about it, but still, perhaps I should’ve simply refused. I felt really bad about it afterwards. Even though all the nuns were adorable, and seem truly happy on helping out.
Anyway, next morning, there is a buffet for breakfast, so I decide to make the most of the money the nuns used to pay for the night. I pack sandwiches, yogurt, boiled eggs and travel spreads, so I know I am good for the day and possibly tomorrow’s breakfast.
It is early morning when I start exploring Tver. There is a strong fog. By the river, I can’t see much of some popular spots. Neither can I see the other side of the river. But everything is still very beautiful. Just like in a horror movie.
I go all the way to St. Catherine’s convent again. This time I take some photographs. I try to find the nuns from last night but they are not to be found anywhere. But another nun, who can speak a great English, starts talking with me and gives me a wonderful gift: a book. The book is about Alexandra Feodorovna, a German born Princess who after getting married to a Russian prince, moved to Russia. It is a great book and I enjoy reading a lot. I don’t care that it is a religious book, focusing in the conversion of Alexandra to Orthodox church and her years as a nun. I have learnt a lot of history with it.
With the hours passing, the fog slowly fades away and I have a better view of places. I discover an abandoned building by accident, and I fall in love with it! It is just by the river, right in front of the famous Znak Tver sign. Searching on Google it only says something like “water equipment rental place”. What?
There is also an abandoned Theme Park. Well, at least it seems abandoned. Wasn’t? It is a bit creepy but still charming for some photos.
I like Tver! I think it is great to stop by a small city like this, to have a real idea of a Russian city, how it works and how it looks. I am very happy to come here and experience all this. I know that this is not a common attitude for foreigners. Most of tourist will go to St. Petersburg and Moscow, and after they will say they visited Russia. Unfortunately, apart from the glamorous buildings of those big cities, everything else is a false idea of Russia really looks like, and how Russian people really live. A country is so much more than its capital. There is a deeper level of culture in the countryside, and that’s why I focus my travels on going into it.
After a lot of walking, I decide to leave a bit before lunch time.
10 Years Around the World 