The city center has some really charming old buildings. Wooden houses, little fences, carved shutters. Beautiful.

I stopped by Lazhechnikov's estate. Almost nothing has survived from the original, and the restoration only roughly shows how everything used to look. But the tour guide was absolutely colorful and engaging. You could tell he's really passionate about the subject—he lives for his work.

He also told us that a couple of hundred years ago, healthy teeth were considered almost improper. Unmarried girls, especially from less wealthy families, would stain their teeth black with special soot. Cavities showed that there was plenty of sugar at home. And where there's sugar, there's wealth in the household. And a dowry :)

Good thing we don't do that anymore.