The Volga

The Volga is Europe's longest and largest river, rising in the hills about 130kms Northwest of Moscow it flows West to East until it reaches Kazan, where it turns South, down to the Caspian Sea. Russians call it Mother Volga. Of the twenty largest towns in Russia, eleven of them are situated on the Volga. Our town isn't one of them, but for the residents of Konakovo it is an important part of the town life.

From December to April it is frozen; the main activities on the river are cross country skiing, ice fishing and driving. It's frozen tributaries also provide new short cuts to get around town, I can walk across the Danhovka to the forest park in about ten minutes as opposed to walking across the bridge which takes twenty minutes. Young children and shopping are transported across the ice on sleds. The forest park is a great place in the winter it is on the banks of the Volga, and is popular for cross country skiing and outdoor parties. As I don't care for winter sports I opt for the party option which involves, fire, vodka, food and friends. Word goes out that we will meet in the forest on Saturday afternoon, the first problem is trying to locate everyone as getting a spot can be difficult, we carry all our stuff with us charcoal, vodka and food. Once we find a spot. we cut branches from the pine trees to stand on, its about -25c at this point so foot warmth is an absolute priority. OK, so now we are standing about so it is time for a vodka, about 50g goes down very nicely. Vodka should be drunk cold, so this is perfect conditions to keep our vodka at the correct temperature. We eat snacks with the vodka mainly dried fish, preserved tomatoes, pickles and pork fat, believe me it all tastes good when you are outdoors. We get a fire going and soon we have "shashlik" cooking on the mangel, which is a square metal box. Shashlik is marinated pork neck cut into squares and the skewered on a "shampor". We keep this going all afternoon and into the evening, we eat little and often with a vodka or two every now and then to keep us warm. Groups of people wander past us all carrying their stuff, looking for their place in the forest. We hear people laughing and shouting and investigate, a toboggan run has been made down the hill from the forest onto the Volga about twenty five meters below, we don't use toboggans, instead plastic sheets are placed under your backside and you slide down; fast! After 3 or 4 of these runs your backside is aching and you head back to the cooking. About nine o'clock we decide to leave the forest and head home; getting out is always a challenge but somehow we manage it. We head straight to a house where we drink hot tea and laugh and reminisce about our day

It's now the first of May, the Volga thaws rapidly, from the beginning of April. Never without tragedy as we hear stories of people driving on the Volga and their vehicles plunging through the ice. Each weekend sees groups of people assembling on the grass and benches on the banks of the Volga, drinking beer chatting and enjoying the Spring. The days are lengthening quickly and the promise of summer is just around the corner.

Work starts on the Shatri's around this time, wooden floors are laid and the tents start to go up. There are ten Shatri's that face the river and one behind these, not a prime spot the owner here has to work hard to get the crowds into his Shatri. Shatris sell beer, at a very reasonable price, they have an indoor and outdoor seating area and cook great food. Once the Shatris open you really feel like summer has arrived. This is a great meeting place, you can go every evening and you will see people you know. Last year they laid a brick path in front of the Shatris, like a boardwalk, and the town strolls up and down in the evening. By the middle of June some brave people are swimming, the days are long, in fact the sunsets on the Volga are spectacular; the sun never really sets, we are that far North, and it is often quite light at eleven thirty at night. We always favour one Shatri, the owners get to know us, give us discounts and always find a place for us. We have four Armenian friends who we only see in the summer, they always join us on a Friday night, they bring their own vodka, which you are allowed to do if you buy food and are the friendliest most generous guys. On Friday's and Saturday's some of the Shatris have dances which attract an even larger crowd, the music is blaring and they stay open until two or three in the morning. legally they are only meant to stay open till eleven, but if you know one of the administrator's in town this can be fixed for a small sum.

By the middle of July it's warm enough to swim, the mosquitoes are ferocious, and the Muscovite's start appearing for their summer breaks.
Swimming in the Volga is great, a hot day, refreshing swim, couple of beers, all is good in the world. Be warned, there are no safe swimming areas, jet skis and boats have access to all parts of the beach so it can be somewhat perilous of you don't keep your eyes open. that is why we swim and then have a beer.

Boat trips leave from the wooden platform south of the Shatris. There is a four hour trip and a two hour trip, the two hour trip is the only one I have done. The boat goes downstream past the power plant and then heads back. The scenery is great the forest comes down to the banks of the Volga and with the exception of a small house here and there it is unspoilt. The boat is metal and has a top deck and then seating downstairs, it sells beer and snacks and has a sound system which blares away the whole of the trip, the holiday makers dance on the foredeck, the locals sit aft and drink beer.

River traffic on the Volga, consists of fishermen. barges hauling sand and the luxury cruise boat from Moscow which appears now and then, I confess I don't know it's destination. It stops at Konakovo for about an hour and then goes on it's way.

Too soon the summer is over and the grey days settle in before the freeze, another year on the Volga.

The Town

Konakovo sits on the banks of the Volga, Russia's longest and most famous river. It is a smaller Russian town of about 60,000 people. According to the woman in the Konakovo museum there has been a settlement here since ancient times, and she showed us the artifacts to prove it, where hunters, fishermen and peasant farmers would set up camp. The town is in two parts, the old town, and Konakovo. The old town was a village on the banks of the Danhovka river, which runs into the Volga, it is a mess of single story homes, made of logs, wood, clapboard, block or brick. The basic shapes are the same, but the angles at which these houses have settled are crazy, many look like they will fall over in a strong wind. Some more enterprising owners add extensions, which provide much amusement for architectural connoiseurs. Made of whatever the owner can get their hands on, they come in all shapes and sizes, some build on top, others at the side; the overall effect is like Soweto would be if they had -30c winters.

In the early sixties the power station was built about 5 kms upriver from Konakovo, to do this a dam was built and the area above the dam flooded, the flood plain took in many villages and so a new town was built to house the inhabitants of these villages. All of the housing in this part of the town is Soviet style apartment bloks; five, seven and nine stories depending when they were built. Very little thought was given to the overall layout of the town so the apartment blocks are randomnly placed in clusters that over time have joined together. The locals know their way through this maze, we don't, so we walk twice as far to get anywhere than everyone else. The discovery of a new route to the shops or a cafe sends a flurry of phone calls and SMS messages through the expat community.

A typical apartment is one to two rooms, quite small, with a kitchen. bathroom, and a balcony, originally the balconies were open but over time they have been closed in by a variety of building materials. The balcony is also used to hang any stuff that is surplus to requirement from, such as bicycles, old bird cages, or older furniture that you do not want to throw away.

The main street is Prospekt Lenin, which runs from the middle of town down to the river, it is wide, has a tree lined boulevard down the middle of it, a nice statue of Lenin and plenty of benches to sit on. When the weather is warm the locals get out of their apartments and stroll and sit outdoors, chatting, drinking beer on Prospekt, it is the social centre of the town.

The roads are dreadful, although they have repaved the Prospekt and put in pedestrian crossings, and improved the sidewalk. The sidewalks are also dreadful, potholes, metal bits sticking up, unpaved sections and mud when it rains.

There is no road drainage system so when it rains the whole town sort of sits in a puddle, walking around is hazardous; unless you know the high spots, you will get wet feet.

The market features prominnently in every Russsian town, here you can buy everything from food to clothes. The main market stalls are covered and mostly run by Armenian's who are sociable and when you get to know them can always barter a bit with them. Then you have the babushka's selling product from their own backyards, cow's and goat's milk, vegetables, jam, and this time of year mushrooms from the forest. On the weekends the market is always crowded and is a great place to stroll around, see friends, have a beer in one of the three or four cafe's and do some serious people watching.

We have no large supermarkets, our best supermarket on Prospekt burnt down in August, but there is no shortage of small shops selling food and groceries. There is more than one within walking distance of any apartment block, I have four within five minutes walking distance from my apartment.

To get around the town you have two choices, walk or taxi. Taxis are not expensive, 60 rubles for anywhere in town, 70 rubles to anywhere in the old town.

We are at the end of the line for the train from Moscow, the town is a holiday destination for Muscvites, and many Muscvites have Dachas in the countryside around Konakovo. It is a also a popular destination for fishermen in both the summer and winter. Trains run regularly five times a day and are inexpensive.

All in all it is not a bad place to live, close to Moscow, close to nature, on the Volga, it could be worse.