In search of lost planes, amid mud and snow, I and Giada, my traveling companion, venture into the meanders of Monino.
Position
The abandoned buildings are located in Monino, 150km from Moscow easily reachable with 2 hours of elektricka. Around the Museum of the Central Air Force there are various disused buildings, even if in some cases the access prohibition still remains.
Description
Our research starts from the train station, where with our stunted Russian we try to make ourselves understood and ask for information regarding the abandoned aircrafts. Unfortunately, as we had previously suspected, everyone shows us the way to the museum.
After making a visit to the supermarket, we head towards the museum where we hope to find some information. For our bad luck here we receive only an infinite number of words in Russian of which we do not even know the meaning.
“Uf, I think they do not understand what we really want to visit” I think to myself.
Having said that, we begin to visit the surroundings with the help (inaccurate) of the electronic maps. Therefore we take a few steps back and return to the main road. Arriving at the museum we see some abandoned buildings. Making our way through the 30cm of snow we reach the first house.
As soon as I step inside I hear a rather strange noise: a quite big dog gets up from the next room and approaches briskly. I remain to observe him, at the same time I take the camera from the lining to capture the moment. He, however, almost annoyed, takes the door to my left and runs away. In addition to the dog inside this building we find only ruins. In the other neighboring building an interminable corridor awaits us, with blue doors at the sides. The rooms either are covered in rubbish and snow, or some paperwork or furniture eaten away from the moisture.
Passing to the side of the museum and taking a probably private street, we find ourselves in front of a gate. In Cyrillic there is something written about the police and the entry ban. We decide to get around the obstacle and enter another part. We pass in front of a kind of Mural, with the police that, 100 meters away, near by the entrance gate, stops by car. We continue as if nothing had happened.
Within this lot there are other abandoned farmhouses, also submerged by the snow and silent as the forest that is next to them. They share the same moments and the same emotions. Their reaction to our visit is in fact rather unusual for equally unusual visitors.
