Torzhok

September 26, 2014

Somehow I’d always ignored Torzhok and driven right past it. The town is situated at a distance from the main highway, which probably explains why.

I’d assumed it was some kind of provincial hole.

Torzhok, my beloved town!

Where there would inevitably be a broken “I Love Torzhok” sculpture somewhere downtown.

I <3 To...k

Where you’d find a few shabby, run-down shops.

Furniture 2nd Fl. Hair Salon. Men’s Clothing. Mutual Aid Society: Office 4, 2nd Floor. Loans at 0%: up to 40 000 rubles, for up to 1 year. Turnkey construction of frame houses, cottages; remodeling, finishing of any complexity; plastic windows, doors; legal support for all types of transactions.

Where the only joy would be a penguin-shaped trash can (like in Kyzyl).

Where anti-Obama jokes are on open display.

Car window shades; headlight polishing; auto glass repair

Where there are no sidewalks.

Where there’s yet another silver Kirov of some sort.

In short, Torzhok never seemed interesting enough to want to go there for whatever reason when there are hundreds of other interesting cities I haven’t explored yet.

As it turned out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Torzhok is one of the most wonderful and well-preserved cities in Russia (to the extent that anything in Russia can be well preserved).

When you come to Torzhok, you find your breath taken away by its beauty and coziness.

There’s an absolutely fantastic natural riverfront here, and one can only hope it won’t get vandalized with granite for some important anniversary.

There are plenty of cinemagenic spots here.

Two picturesque bridges connect the two parts of the town.

One part has been slightly marred by renovations; this is the “fancy” facade along the river.

But the other part is absolutely delightful.

It’s love at first sight.

Just look at what fences they have here!

What puddles!

What footpaths!

From now on, I’ll be stopping here to feast my eyes and enjoy a Pozharsky cutlet every time I travel from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.

Every corner in Torzhok looks like it could be on a postcard.