Yesterday, Friday, April 2 Lyudmila (my Mother-in-Law) and Sergey (husband of Olga's Godmother) picked me up in Moscow for a 6-hour journey to Desnogorsk. Desnogorsk is in an Oblast (state) called Smolensk, which borders Belarus. I came down to visit all of the family (except Olga, of course, back in South Carolina, sadly) for Easter, before returning to the US on Tuesday morning.
This morning, Lyudmila and I toured Desnogorsk so I could see the changes that have occurred since I was here last year. In Soviet times, Desnogorsk was considered a "closed city" as it is home to a nuclear plant that was built in the 70s. Olga's Mom and Dad are nuclear engineers and were moved here to work at the plant in the 80s. This plant provides energy for several surrounding Oblasts.
The majority of the approximate 35,000 people here work at the nuclear plant and the growth in the city is minimal. It is in a remote location so there is no going to any local malls, Wal-Marts, Lowes... you get my drift. If you cannot find it here, you might wait a while... which, in some warped thought, is kind of neat to an outsider. This is a VERY safe community and it is nothing to see children that are 4-5 years old running the sidewalks to the store for their parents, or going for music/dance/sports training lessons on their own after school.
Speaking of shopping, Lyudmila and I went to visit the newest grocery store, which translates as "Dixie" in English. It would be interesting to know where this name came from. One of the other new arrivals to Desnogorsk is a street kiosk that sells different kind of fast-food items, pictured toward the end of the slideshow. The "Crazy Monkey" business is an Internet cafe. Notice that it, as many others, is in the bottom floor of a huge apartment building. Businesses in these small towns arrive in many shapes and forms, in some of the most unique places.
Desnogorsk, Russia (Smolensk Oblast)
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You will see a new church in many of the photographs. This Russian Orthodox church has been under construction for several years and should be completed this summer. Interestingly, the administration of the nuclear plant has funded the majority of its construction. Another community project funded by the nuclear plant was the city park and amphitheater seen in some of the pictures. As in all nuclear plant locations, the city is surrounded on two sides by Lake Desno, which provides a lot of recreational activities during the short summer months.
My Mom, Lucille, came here to visit Lyudmila with me two years ago and she fell in love with Desnogorsk. She thought that this city was a strong contrast to the hustle-bustle fast pace of Moscow that she experienced for more than a week.
If the weather cooperates, on Sunday we will go to a location called the "Saint Springs," which includes a couple of natural springs that have been blessed by one of the local Russian Orthodox priests. The water is potable and people take bottles there for water for their homes. The water is transported from the spring to the local churches for ceremonial activities. I hope we get to visit as I look forward to sharing some pictures from there with you too.
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