To Ryazan! To the detriment of everything.
Malyavka, Dunno, Straw, Chanechka, Vshivka, Pesochenka, Voblya, Romaika, Lybid - this is not a complete list of rivers and streams that I met on the way to Ryazan. Only for the sake of these names it is possible to make this journey once again. Good names. Lovely. Calm. Well, almost everything.
Every year my friends and I go to some interesting city to have a drink and chat without children and turning off our phones. This year the trip was organized somehow painfully. The abomination of being tried to break all plans. Someone was forced to go to a second job in order to feed their families, someone lost their job, someone was just in a panic or despondency. But it was decided in spite of everything to go and make a mess. Moreover, the current situation has its advantages. One of us, having concluded a ruble contract for the purchase of an expensive car in early autumn, received it at the end of February and paid for it with the amount specified in the contract.
The dress code for the main dinner was deliberately strict. Tuxedos and long dresses. Orders and epaulettes are obligatory for the military. For ladies make-up and hairstyles. The fact is that we are used to seeing each other in denim country clothes, or without it at all in the bath. And so we at least looked at each other in beauty and wiped our noses at the nasty current moment.
In order not to suffer with changing clothes, it was decided to go to a restaurant at the hotel. Reviews about him were not bad, we were in no hurry, the music was good. Everything promised a good evening. Well, it didn't work out. We have never been served so long in our lives. The order was made at 2030. The last dish was brought at 2355. Moreover, a hot appetizer. One of our friends ordered only the main course without any salads and waited exactly 3 hours for it. I had to share and put her food on an empty plate like the pioneers of Kostya Inochkin from the old film. And then there was a blackout in Ryazan and the power went out for 40 minutes. All over the area. For some reason they didn’t give us candles and we had to light ourselves with a phone or a lighter. But it also had its advantages. It was possible to grab a neighbor by the knee with a minimal probability of getting in the mouth from her gentleman.
In the morning we booked a tour. To be honest, it wasn't easy. It turned out that for the entire half-million Ryazan there is only one travel agency (MK Travel), which is engaged in domestic import tourism. In fact, it took three hours to find her. Brad, of course full. But they turned out to be true professionals.
A wonderful guide (Lykova Olga Evgenievna), was absolutely calm about the fact that we do not really want to listen to information about different princes and architects. She was not offended by the fact that we prefer to look at some interesting water tower than at the next church or monastery. In short, the five-hour tour was a breeze.
Ryazan is an old and interesting city, but it is not destined to enter the Golden Ring. Some idiot in the middle of the 20th century thought of building a huge, wildly secret factory on the main city street. And since then the city has become semi-closed to foreigners. And for the sake of domestic tourism, they were in no hurry to develop this branch of the economy. But in vain. There is something to see in Ryazan.
The most important dominant of the city is the Ryazan Airborne School named after V. F. Margelov. The symbols of the Airborne Forces can be seen everywhere. Even on birch bark souvenirs and umbrellas. The presence of this school contributes to the fact that 99 percent of the streets are Ryazan faces. The remaining percentage is blacks. And this is not just negros. These are cadets of the school who study there on a paid basis.
There is another unusual educational institution in the city. This is the Higher School of the Federal Penitentiary Service. For me there are 2 puzzles. Did the students of this educational institution dream of such a career since childhood? And the second. How do they get along in the same city in the Airborne Forces. There is some mystery here.
In addition to the paratroopers, Ryazan residents are very proud of their two countrymen. The first of them is Max Faktorovich. At the beginning of the century, he tried lipsticks and powders on local aunts, and before the revolution, sensing something was wrong, he dumped in the USA and formed the world-famous company Max Factor.
The second is Academician Pavlov. He is much less popular, because. Ryazan dogs love and pity. Although they understand intellectually that Ivan Petrovich tortured animals in the name of science. But you can't tell your heart.
In general, the people in the city are very calm and friendly. During the tour, the guide took us to a small beer restaurant for lunch. (270 rubles for 5 courses. They seriously asked if it was expensive for dear guests. ) The restaurant was closed to other visitors. They stood at the entrance and humbly waited. But neither vexation nor resentment was expressed. Vice versa. When we entered the establishment, this small queue greeted us with the words - “Hello. Welcome to Ryazan”. "Hello, hello, " we said in response, "guys, don't worry, we're fast. "
If you are brought to Ryazan, be sure to pay attention to the signs of shops, establishments and offices. It is something. Every second is wildly creative. Fishing shop "Cool", beer "Beer stall", furniture store "From top to bottom", supermarket "Soroka" and everything like that.
In short, Ryazan turned out to be a pleasant, kind city. The trip was a success. Charged with positive for the year. But just in case, we planned the next trip in half a year. It will be the Roosters. On the train. With a book. And with "Tears of the Komsomol" in a flask.
