Search This Blog

Friday, October 15, 2010

дачи и дома [dachas and homes]

The old house of our friend in Velichy Novgorod is exactly like hundreds we saw in town and in the countryside.  There are variations, some two story varieties, but this is the most common.  Today this particular house is worth over $100k because of the land value and boom in building $1-2 million varieties like the houses next door (below).  If he ever sells, the house will be torn down for a new McMansion.




On our bus ride from St. Petersburg to Novgorod we saw the dacha communities scattered all along the way.  There were a wide range of conditions of these country properties; some looking abandoned, and many appearing to be updated or in the process.  Almost a third of Russian families own dachas, which may or may not have a house on them, but are typically a place to get away from the city and grow a garden.  Traditionally the houses were primitive but that is changing.  I got the impression the whole tradition of dachas might be shifting.  These pictures were taken out the bus window.







No comments: