About Our Saratov Trip.

Why We Went
My husband is a commissioning engineer, and he was sent to a site near Saratov for work. Usually he travels with one or two colleagues, but this time he went alone, so there were empty seats in the car, and he suggested that our son and I join him. After all, we barely see each other because of his endless business trips, and we miss him a lot. The plan was: while he works, we explore the city and museums, and evenings and travel time we spend together.

How We Got There
It was tough. Our car is very old and has no air conditioning, and the weather was hot, over 30°C. We drove like pies in an oven, 13 hours there and then the same back. With queues at gas stations, of course, can't avoid those. We were exhausted.

Where We Stayed
In a rented apartment near the "Strelka" stop in an old neighborhood, immersed in the shade of giant chestnut and poplar trees. Seriously, giant: poplars twice as tall as the five-story buildings in whose courtyards they are planted are common. In the courtyard of the house, under a carefully tended garden, there is an underground shelter. Unlike ours, it is always open. Every night a siren howls, and a recorded voice warns of a missile or drone threat and suggests going down there. But the locals don't react (apparently used to it), and we didn't either.

What We Managed to See
Museum of Military and Labor Glory (and Victory Park nearby). Victory Park with outdoor military equipment exists in our city of Ufa too, but in Saratov it is much larger and richer in exhibits, half of which are civilian machinery like old tractors (in Ufa only military). The museum itself is very large and interesting, also bigger than ours. We spent almost the entire first day on it and the park.
On the second day, we strolled along the embankment and visited the local regional museum of local lore. Three floors of diverse exhibits, from ammonites and dinosaurs to space flight. For instance, there is a plane on which Gagarin learned to fly.

Conclusion
A difficult but interesting family trip. A happy child who declared that one day he would come here alone and then see everything properly. We took almost no photos. It was much more interesting to simply enjoy the adventure and see everything with our own eyes.

#backstage