This scenario offers to look at not the most obvious Russian cities and routes, glorifying first of all the impressive nature. It is an excellent option for escape from routine and boredom, for fresh air and new impressions. We have all been waiting for it for so long! Get ready to walk a lot. There will be national parks, reserves and other native expanses. Clothes and shoes are the most comfortable, the weather is extremely clear. Take your backpack and thermos with you. Here we go!
Today we'll be on our way to Goose Crystal. On the way we'll have a look at the balashikha park (surprisingly stylish and cozy), then we'll visit an agricultural farm where we'll learn to play with our hands. Under Vladimir we'll visit Kolokshinsky statue, and the sunset we'll meet at the edge of the most beautiful quarry in the surroundings.
We'll stop by Balashikha early in the morning. The local park "Pehorka" has undergone considerable changes in the last couple of years. Now it is a fashionable park with art objects, play areas, 5D cinema and contact zoo. On a huge area covered with wooden planks, yoga sessions and exercises are often held in the morning. There is a descent to the pond, a boat station and wooden platforms with sun loungers. In short, a healthy alternative to the capital's parks.
Not far from Vladimir there is an agricultural complex "Bogdarnya". Here you can play folk games (paws and small towns, for example) or paintball, go on horseback riding in the forest (1500 rubles) or ride the Russian three. And even learn to horseshoe. There are also master classes on cheese-making, though they are two days. But to order a tasting of local cheeses no one will stop you. We'll have lunch here, too. Prices are quite affordable. A special menu item - dishes on coals: meat products are their own, which is doubly pleasant.
Under Vladimir, on the bank of the Klyazma River there is a very curious sculpture. As soon as it is not called: Head on Koloksha, Moai of Koloksha district, Koloksha statue... This is a huge concrete man whose body is buried underground and his head, arms and legs stick out from the outside. There's no mystical background to the art object. A stone man "guards" a nearby hotel. But it doesn't make him any less interesting.
We go to Andreyevsky (or Dyukinsky) quarry to meet the sunset. The history of this picturesque place is natural. Until 1892 there were impassable forests here. Then there was a wood processing plant in this area, and in the postwar years here began to extract minerals. For a long time the quarry supplied the surrounding factories with stone, dolomite flour and limestone. And when mining stopped, the area had a completely different life. Now the Dukes quarry is a haven for mountaineers. The steep edges of the pit are ideal for training. It's a little late to go down to the bottom of the quarry - but you can breathe in the scents of pine trees and explore the landscapes.
We'll stop by for dinner at Goose Crystal. Jam Restaurant. - one of the best in town. He calls himself "out of date", undoubtedly by taking compliments. Pleasant interior in the style of retro jazz of the 50s, calm music (although sometimes there are karaoke evenings), a good menu with no frills - these are its advantages. And this is also one of the few restaurants that can offer a full vegetarian menu.
Meshchera National Park is an area of 110,000 hectares. Tourist facilities are spread out over this area tens of kilometers apart. Let's try to conquer at least a small part of the reserve by exploring three ecological paths. Entrance to the trails is paid, but it costs a penny: 50-100 rubles.
After breakfast, we'll stop by the supermarket. The reserve is tight with cafes, so it's better to take food and drinks with you. And there's plenty of room for a picnic in Meshchera!
First of all, I propose to conquer the route "Journey to the world of Meshchery swamps". It starts in the depths of the forest, in the village of Yagodino, and goes along the river Pol, through bay meadows and picturesque forest massif, to the viewing platforms of Sergeev's Swamp. Along the trail there are information stands which will explain what grows here and who lives here. The length of the trail is about 5 km. The trail will take about 1.5-2 hours. We will add another hour for a leisurely picnic in the glade.
In the afternoon we're heading to the village of Erleks. Here, on the picturesque bank of the river Paul once ran a trade route connecting Vladimir and Ryazan. Now there is an ecological trail "Journey along the old Ryazan road". Along the path you will meet a dozen and a half curious objects, natural and man-made. Among them are the remains of an old bridge across the Paul River. At the end of the eco-trail, you can have tea in a well-equipped tourist parking lot. The length of the trail is 1.5 km. And don't be lazy to reach the Holy Trinity Temple in Erllex. It's part of another short environmental trail, by the way.
For dinner I suggest stopping by "Maltsov" restaurant. The menu includes hodgepodge, fragrant borscht and rouge pancakes, in the interior - massive furniture made of wood, the background sounds like pleasant music. And what else does a tired traveler need?
Let's have a rest near the river Pra, which is called the pearl of the Meshchera region. Along the banks there are a lot of equipped parking lots for rest. The shores are tall, wooded, somewhere there are comfortable sandy beaches. The river is calm, there are no rapids - only sometimes there are small rubble. After that we will go for a night in Kasimov - a town with an amazing history, which deserves a separate trip.
In the morning we arrive at the place of Spas Buckles. For admirers of Sergey Esenin's work this place is known for the fact that here the famous poet studied at the church-teaching school.
If you like a quiet holiday and informative excursions, you can go to the museum dedicated to the poet, and after a walk along the banks of the picturesque Pra river. Yes, such places can't help but be inspiring. The museum is closed on Monday.
If the weather is good, you can take a swim or just relax on the river bank. The area is very picturesque.
On the way to Kasimov we'll find a curious open-air museum. It's dedicated to narrow-gauge technology. In the beginning of the last century, many kilometers of such roads were laid through the hard-to-reach forests of Mieszczary - they were necessary for the removal of wood and peat. Konstantin Paustovsky beautifully remembers about these roads: "Behind Gusem-Khrustalny, at a quiet station Tuma, I crossed the narrow gauge train. It was a train from the time of Stephenson. The steam locomotive, like a samovar, was whistling with childish falsetto". Once the Meshchera highway, sung by Paustovsky, was over 200 km long, then - 100 km, and the last section mysteriously disappeared from the line of Russian Railways. There was even a criminal case about the theft - of course, it has not been solved yet. Today, narrow girders are a relic and rarity, so the museum definitely deserves a visit. Here you can see an old passenger car, a flatbed car, a track snowplow, a diesel locomotive TU-A7 in good condition. The museum is open daily and round the clock.
We'll have lunch at the art cafe "Kasimovsky Dvorik". The menu includes shish kebab, fish on coals, bird dishes: hungry travelers have eyes spilling out.
We'll spend the rest of the day in Kasimov. Once this city was the capital of the Kasimov Khanate, a state that was formed in the middle of the XV century. In Kasimov there are many traces of the rich past - old mosques, khan's tombs and other curious buildings.
The present look of the cathedral was acquired in the XIX century, earlier on this place there was a wooden temple, which did not survive the fire. Interesting fact: the temple was built according to the same plan as the cathedral in Gatchina, and is considered one of the most beautiful representatives of temple architecture in Ryazan province. After observing the temple, take a walk through city streets and squares. Kasimov is a very interesting, contrasting provincial town, so you should take an evening stroll to get to know it.
There are not many places in Kasimov where you can have a tasty dinner, so we're going back to "Kasimovsky Yard". By the way, it's a very tasty kebab!
In the morning we'll go to Oka State Reserve early - to get acquainted with cranes and bison. After that we'll visit Tsiolkovsky's homeland and wander through the "drunken forest" - an amazing natural monument.
In the morning we will visit the Oka State Reserve, one of the most picturesque parts of Meshchera. Standard excursion includes three parts: general acquaintance with the reserve, visit to the cages with cranes and visit to the bison nursery. I recommend to make an appointment for the excursion at 10.30 (the next one will be only at 12:30). On visit will take 1,5-2 hours, and do not forget to glance in a souvenir shop. In the neighboring village of Dobryanka there is a cafe "Brykin Bor", where they promise to feed boiled food, homemade cutlets and rouge pies. We'll stop there for lunch after a long walk in the woods.
In the village of Izhevskoye there is a house estate of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky - the largest scientist in the field of aeronautics and cosmonautics. It was here, in one of the oldest settlements of the Ryazan region, that the Russian researcher was born. In the house of the scientist today is a museum, among the exhibits of which - the spacecraft descendant "Soyuz-22", space suit cosmonaut OG Makarov, a model of the first artificial Earth satellite and other curious objects. The museum is closed on Mondays.
On the outskirts of Shilovsky district hides an unusual forest, where each pine tree curves its trunk to the north. Scientists assume that the forest is "intoxicated" because of several abnormally humid years in the 70's, when very snowy winters alternated with rainy summers. Young pines could not resist the elements and eventually took such an unusual form. The scientists' version is convincing, but the Drunken Forest continues to be considered an anomalous zone. They say that hopelessly lost phones are being charged here, headaches and the best shots from the camera are being lost. On the way back you can stop at Terekhovskoye ancient settlement. The place of ancient settlement is located on the cape where pine forest grows, on the southern outskirts of the village Terekhovo. From the hill there is a wonderful view of both Lake Chudino, which looks like the letter "U", and the protected forest.
Drive into the "Golden Pheasant" - a cozy roadside cafe on the highway Ural. Ideal place for a hearty and inexpensive dinner in Shilovskiy district.
In the morning we will go to the local airfield: parachute jumping, soaring in the air tube and test small planes. In the afternoon we will visit the manor of Ludwig von Dervis, where they say they shot everyone's favorite Soviet film "Cinderella". Then we will visit the ruins of Old Ryazan and enjoy the steep banks of the Oka, which keep thousands of years of secrets. In the evening we will arrive in Ryazan, where we will sleep.
We leave early in the morning for Krutitsy airfield. And that's what you can do here: - to make a parachute jump alone or in tandem with an instructor; - to try flying in the air tube; - fly in a small plane over beautiful forests and fields; - take an accelerated freefall training course. Attention! The airfield is open from Wednesday to Sunday. It is better to warn instructors about your plans [in advance](https://krutitcy.ru/).
We'll have lunch at the Day and Night Cafe, which is right on the way. It bribes with nice interior, spacious hall and affordable prices: 250 rubles is enough to eat from a puzzle.
We'll stop by the von Dervis Manor in Kirisa. This amazing architectural ensemble was erected in 1889 by Sergey Pavlovich von Dervis, the son of the builder of the Moscow-Ryazan railway, nicknamed "Russian Monte Cristo". Now in this unusual building is a children's tuberculosis sanatorium, so you can not go inside, but walk around the palace no one will forbid.
The following point of travel becomes Old Ryazan - the only one of capitals of the grounds of Ancient Russia which has turned to "dead city". The city did not last long: after its ruin in 1237 by Batu Khan it could not be restored. Not much remains of the ancient capital: a huge hill with a flat top. Archaeological values have long been transferred to museums. And the half-destroyed red-brick arch is the remains of the church, which was built in the XX century in memory of the burnt ancient cathedrals. Take a look at neighbouring Fatyanovka, which is surrounded by unique and unusual landscapes for the Ryazan region.
Another incredibly picturesque place is located on the slopes of Trinity village. Here lie glacial boulders like the ones near Old Ryazan. Often locals find here washed bones and tusks of mammoths.
We'll have dinner under Ryazan, at the restaurant "In some kingdom". These "bar" chambers serve dishes of Russian and European cuisine: homemade noodles with mushrooms, boiled cabbage, peasant soup in bread. What you need after long walks in the open air!
Isn't it time to stop on vacation? You can warm up, fill up and buy goods on the way at Gazpromneft's filling stations.
Before we go to the hotel, we'll walk around Ryazan evening. Needless to say, this city is worth visiting for a few days: there are not many historical sights.
The final day of the journey will be filled with new experiences. In the morning we will visit the place of the ancient Ryazan city on the high bank of the Oka, then conquer the "snowy" mountains near Moscow. Finally we will go in for extreme sports on a modern racing track "ADM Raceway".
The first thing we're going to do is to conquer the Perevitsk fortress. There's not much information about the ancient town in annals - it suffered greatly from Mongols' hands and Moscow - Razan internecine battles. The place of the disappeared city is called Bastanova Mountain. On its top there is a stone with lines of Sergey Esenin: "How beautiful is the land and a man on it...". The poet was absolutely right: it is a wonderful place to admire the curves of Oka and think about the eternal.
Not far from Voskresensk near Moscow there is a curious sight - White Mountain. Amazing landscapes resemble the glaciers of Iceland. Only in summer these "snows" do not melt, because the mountain consists of phosphorus gypsum - waste from the plant "Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers". You can't go up the mountain, but at least admire it from the outside. It is quite possible that in the near future this snow-white mountain will disappear - stored waste is going to be recycled into useful raw materials.
We will have lunch at one of the most presentable restaurants in Voskresensk, the restaurant "Tokyo". On the menu, as it is easy to guess, dishes of Japanese cuisine, and pasta and pizza. Prices are quite affordable, you can smoke hookah.
Finally, let us charge with great emotions in the complex "ADM Raceway", located 16 km from Moscow Ring Road. This is a modern racing track with all the conditions for extreme entertainment. What can you do here? - learn the basic techniques of skidding - ride buggies, racing cars and motorcycles - fly light aircraft and helicopters - archery - try karting Some entertainment is available without appointment, others must be arranged in advance. I recommend that you carefully study [site](https://admraceway.ru/) to avoid unpleasant surprises. The complex is open until 18:00.
I offer dinner at Zhukovsky's first gastropub. "Wright Brothers Pub & Restaurant" is named after aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers. The institution successfully combines the atmosphere of a real Irish pub and a European family restaurant. You can choose seats on the ground floor, in the hall with access to the veranda, or on the second floor in separate halls. There is full seating at weekends in the evenings, so it is better to reserve a table in advance.