Pilgrims Going From Irkutsk to Jerusalem on Foot Covered About 3,000 km

Interfax ^ | 9/14/10

[marshmallow]

Petropavlovsk, September 14, Interfax – Two residents of Irkutsk, who are carrying out a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on foot, arrived in Petropavlovsk in northern Kazakhstan, an Interfax correspondent reported.

Irkutsk Cossacks captain Vladimir Bragintsev, former policeman, now pensioner, started for a long journey on May 8 in Siberia, novice of St. Michael the Archangel Monastery Alexander Serebrennikov jointed him a little bit later. For more than four months pilgrims walked about 3,000 kilometers, visited Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk and other Russian cities and towns.

The pilgrims are going to walk to Jerusalem and worship Christian shrines.

The pilgrims have ordinary tourist set in their rucksacks – a tent, sleeping bags, a pot, matches, food supplies and a medicine box. They buy food on the way taking money from the banking card.

The pilgrims often sleep in the wood in their tent, but sometimes strangers give them a warm reception.

Bragintsev believes his trip to Jerusalem will take him not less that four years, but on his way he dreams of visiting Solovki and Valaam to pray for his relatives killed at World War II.

[Tennessee Nana]

The pilgrims are going to walk to Jerusalem and worship Christian shrines.
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Should that not be “worship AT Christian shrines” ???

[hellbender]

If Russia still has enough people like this, there may be hope for their nation.

[cizinec]

Yes, it should be. knuckle headed press can’t get anything right.

[BRL]

Good thing I played RISK when I was a kid or I would be clueless about this article. To bad they are not going to Kamchatka instead of Jerusalem.

[Snickersnee]

Back in “the old days,” Russians used to walk to J-lem and back on pigrimage all the time. Not only that, they would carry all their own food — both ways — in the form of “rusks,” or dried bread. A devoted bunch indeed.