Aug 28 Goritsy and Kirillov

David is still not feeling very well, having GI problems, and not sleeping well. I wake about 6:30 and go top side for the morning exercises. I arrive early and chat with a couple watching the early morning river. He is Jim and she is Gi-Gi, from Pennsylvania. He reminds me of our friend Ron Y--even sounds like him. We comapre travel experiences, and from now on whenever I meet Jim, we laugh and greet each other in Russian, since we  are both in the language class. A young French guide leads exercises and does a good job, then we are off to breakfast. I have french toast-the first time I have seen it on the buffet.
David is determined not to spend another day cooped up in the cabin, so we head top side. He takes his jacket and a book and rests in a deck lounge chair. It is cool and breezy and I soon go back for my jacket.
About 1:00 we arrive at Kirillov to tour the Monastery of St Cyril on the White Lake. This is one of the largest (30 acres) and most famous monasteries in Russia. In its hayday 200 monks lived here. The Monastery gained military significance as it served as a northern bastion which protected territory under Moscow's control. The monastery is now a museum. The market on the way back to the ship is mostly furs--all types of hats and wraps-some were beautiful and lots of tourists were buying them.
At lunch, I meet a nurse, Sandy, from Canada. The illness is now a common topic of conversation among the passengers. She has been ill too, and offers Lomotil for David. What kindness from a stranger! David takes it and it really does help him. From then on he referred to her as his drug pusher. She enjoyed his joking.
After dinner, David works on downloading pictures he has taken from the camera onto the computer. He is working on a table near the ship's souvenier shop and his laptop invites a lot of conversation and questions. People look at our photos and joke "Oh, you took the same tour we did!"
Three of the on-board guides , Mela, Olga and Olga, hold a "Russia today" meeting and try to answer any questions from the passengers. These young women are quick to say they are not experts.  About the economy, they say during the Soviet years, people had money, but limited goods were available. Today, lots of goods are available, but people have limited money. There is no middle class. There are very rich and very poor. Anyone who wants a job can get one--there is no unemployment. But pay is very low, so even if they are working, they are poor. There is no "welfare", but extended family helps each other. Family does child care. People do not hire nannies.  People eat more vegetables than grains because they have a shorter growing season. They especially like cucumbers, carrots, cabbage and potatoes. People have health care paid through their schools or work, but it does not cover a lot and people do have to pay for medications, surgeries and other procedures. Doctors are not well paid. People can get fired for being off sick. They all are proud of their country, but wish they had more powerful leaders to guide or motivate the citizens.