Day 7: The journey continued onward to Kizhi as we finally crossed from river way to the great Onega lake. The water was the darkest color blue and stretched across the entire horizon, speckled with the remaining ice from the long winter.
As we crossed the expansive lake, I spent my time taking a matryoshka doll paining class. I have always thought these nesting dolls are adorable, so I jumped on the first chance to create one myself. I named mine Emily, mostly because my inner narcissist came out through the tip of the paint brush and painted it to resemble me slightly. One of the guests jokingly asked if she could buy it off of my, and a crew member pipes in "No one can take and Emily from Emily"
As our matryoshka dolls dried it was time to step foot on yet another beautiful Russian region. I have to say Kizhi is, by far, my favorite... you will see why...
The churches on this island were built from round logs of pine, with not a single nail. As legend has it, the man who constructed it used only one axe for the entire structure, which he threw into the lake upon completion with the words "there was not and will be not another one to match it." The longevity and beauty of these churches are beyond impressive. The craftsmanship is impeccable, especially considering the time in which they were built. The smell of pine is still fresh and strong.
The air in Kizhi is so crisp and clean, I have never seen a sky so blue. After our guided walking tour we were free to roam. Morgane and I immediately went back to the ship, laced up our running shoes and hit the soft green trails of this picturesque island. No music is necessary when you are surrounded by scenery this spectacular.
The fresh air filled us with joy, we felt so free and energized so of course we decided to break out in a full on happy dance, do cartwheels in the field and attempted to skinny dip in the lake (sorry no photos of that brilliant idea).
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