The second weekend of April IMARES, ENERPO and MARCA students and alumni spent in one of Russia's oldest cities, Veliky Novgorod. Just 180 km from St Petersburg there is a completely different world. EUSP Professor Sergei Podbolotov took the students on a centuries-long journey, starting from the earliest pagan times to the richest republic with hundreds of churches, monasteries and markets, and its eventual take-over by mighty Moscow.
Students not only learnt about Russian history, but also felt it emanating out from underneath frescoes and pulsing behind whitewashed walls. They visited a traditional Russian village, sampled pelmeni and honey drinks, and relaxed upon the shores of the grand Ilmen' lake where Slavic history supposedly began.