Staritsa, Tver region, Russia

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Click to enlarge Staritsa is defined by hills, the bridge over the Volga, and old churches.
A couple of suicide attempts annually, not counting bungee jumping, are made from this bridge.

Click on the image to enlarge The symbol of the city is this old woman who said to have sat out the Mongol invasion in a cave.
You've entered Staritsa from the Tver side and are on the main square. The building in front of you is the House of Culture. The market is on your left and the hotel is on your right.

Lenin stands neglected and in the summer obscured by trees, while the old woman above occupies Lenin's usual place.

A cow on the main ("Lenin") street in front of the local newspaper's building. The figure you may notice in the window is looking with curiosity not at the cow but at me with my camera - someone being amused by cows wondering city streets is a rare sight indeed.

Horses are still used as transportation for real, not as a tourist attraction.

[local history museum]

This is Asya, the best of Staritsa's cafe keepers. This town of 10 thousand has a remarkably high number of grocery stores and drinking establishments, possibly a leftover from its food-and-drink-centered merchant past.
If you are here as a group, Asya can be invited to cook for you.

That's the cafe itself. It is officially called "Bylina" but is knows under the name of "Shayba" (hockey puck) for its round shape.
This cafe is our official meeting place in town. The village of Dubrovki is 7km (4.5 miles down the Volga from this cafe.

That's the hotel. To your right if you enter the city from Tver, or walk to the main square from the bus station. Rooms are $10-30. Availability low. Their number: 8-08263-21636.

Children's shelter. I periodically get inquiries about sending things or making a donation to the orphanage. Parcels can be directed to my Moscow address. I can also assist with money transfer, and with providing feedback on how your donation was used. More on the orphanage project

Staritsa and the surrounding countryside can be recommended if you wish to see the real small-town and rural Russia yet unchanged by the developing tourist boom. Staritsa is also conveniently located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and your itinerary can go, for instance, thought Novgorod, Ostashkov, Staraya Russa, Torzhok and Tver (St. Petersburg to Staritsa) and then though Rzhev, Volokolamsk, and New Jerusalem (Staritsa to Moscow).

Once in a while I get an enquiry about delivering flowers to someone, yes, even in Staritsa! Rejoice! Flowers can now be procured locally, making the delivery cheaper and faster. $50 plus cost of flowers and presents to have me put on my best coat and make a delivery to someone in Staritsa, Tver, or any place between Staritsa and Moscow. Other errands done, also quite inexpensively.