We went to Novgorod again. This time it only took us two hours (it took us four to five hours by train). Kostya, our translators girlfriend, Masha, took us in her car. They also took us to a park that had old Russian wooden houses and churches. Some were built in the 15th and 16th century. The houses had the animals living on the ground floor. The people lived upstairs above the animals (wonder what it smelled like??? Animals!!!). They had two rooms. A small kitchen with an oven and a living area with a table. There was a little area above the living room that looked like a floor jutting out of the wall but there was only about 12 inches from it to the ceiling. It was just half a loft. That is where the people slept. They must have had to just slide into the beds because there was not enough room to stand. They must have had to sleep on straw as mattresses because there was no room for anything else. They must have had to go to bed at 4:30 p.m. because there was no light. In one corner was an icon that they prayed to. It was very interesting.

Old Russian Orthodox Churches. Notice the third slanted tier on the cross, which makes it different from the Catholic cross.