None of us managed to get much sleep due to the jolting of the train so at 05:00 we checked into the hotel and went straight to bed!

At 11:00 everyone was up and ready to catch a bus bound for the ‘Outdoor Wooden Architecture Reserve’ on the outskirts of the city.  All the buildings there are based on 16^th century Russian designs and it was interesting to see how they would have lived back then.  Even then they produced grand designs which is rather impressive given the technology of the time.

After a short bus journey back into Novgorod I managed to get a three course meal for only R41, again much to the surprise of the others in the group who had all paid significantly more for their lunch.

Having finished lunch I spent some time walking around the Kremlin and went up the ‘Bell Tower’ there to get a better view of the city.  Whilst up there I noticed that there was a ferry service running.  I moved on down to the jetty and boarded the boat.  For the next hour I was treated to the sights of Novgorod from the River Volkhov and saw the Yuriev Monastery along the way.

Once the tour had completed I disembarked and headed straight for the cathedral and market area of the city.  There were all sorts of cathedrals from different ears within close proximity of each other allowing me to gain an appreciation of the designs through the ages.  Very impressive!

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