(After laboriously uploading all of my remaining pictures from the pilgrimage, I forgot to put a link to them here so you can find said link at the end of the post.)
I said that I wouldn’t have time to post this until Monday but some time presented itself to me and I availed.
For those who don’t know about Optina (even for those who do) here is a short summary of its elders from the 19th century, and here are further introductions and councils of some more elders. Here is a narrative about a pilgrimage in 1908. And finally, here is a longer life of its most famous elder, Elder Ambrose.
In the wee hours of the morning, my legal wife and I met our fellow travelers from Molodaya Rus at the Optina representation church in the south of Moscow and were off for the four hour trip. We were all of two large tour busses and approximately 60-70 people. The trip started, as all good trips should start, with prayer; the pilgrimage guide reading various prayers for travel, then putting on an excellent tape of the canons before communion.
The Russian country side:

The tour bus:

As was explained by the pilgrimage guide we had a pretty busy schedule for the weekend including a tour of the monastery and skete, the akathist to the Optina elders, the vigil, the early liturgy, and a visit to Shamordino (stress on the final “o” I recently learned).
Arriving at Optina at approximately 12 we were assigned rooms in the pilgrim hotel:

This is the new hotel which has approximately 30 rooms with beds in each for 6-8 people, I believe.
And this is the old hotel:

The monastery gates:

We next had a little tour of the monastery (it was actually just standing in one place by one of the churches and listening to someone talk about the monastery) to which I didn’t pay very much attention
I did, however, catch these pious old pilgrims:

After this little tour we walked to St. John the Forerunner Skete (located approximately a quarter mile from the monastery) and were told all about the skete.
On the way to the skete:

The skete entry:

The cell where a number of the elders lived:

“…in one half women are received from the outside entrance, and in the other, from the inside entrance (through the skete gates), men are received.”

Here is the “Ambrosian Well,” referring to Elder Ambrose.

Having a little free time before the akathist to the Optina elders my legal wife and I stepped into a few churches and venerated the relics of several elders. We also visited the chapel which was recently built over the graves of the three monks who were martyred in 1993. Another longer article about them here. (The chapel is on the left in the picture.)

Next on the aggenda was lunch in the trapeza for pilgrims. The process is as such: all pilgrims are called into the trapeza in groups, squeezed into their places at tables for 12 (where your back is cozily rubbing up against the person behind you)

and set to the tasty gruel:



The akathist to the Optina elders was in the church of the Vladimir Icon of the Theotokos. In this church are located the relics of Elders Lev, Makarius, Hilarion, Anatole I, Joseph, Barsanuphius, and Anatole II:

After the akathist the legal and I decided to visit the spring of St. Pafnuty of Borovsk which is located approximately a half a mile outside of the monastery. (Read about St. Pafnuty here.) (As to why this spring is in honour of St. Pafnuty, my legal or I do not know.) Here in Holy Rus, as in other Orthodox countries, it’s traditional to dip in such holy springs (three times), no matter the weather, and further not to dry oneself off afterwards. Wanting to have my own dip for awhile this was a perfect opportunity, if only I could command the courage and crack the cold. With the encouragement of the legal I gathered my gumption and made the plunge. (Sidenote that my recent visits to a sauna have helped me to become slightly more adept at braving cold water.) So when I entered the little hut which contains the pool for dipping (it has one section for men and one for women) I was alone but soon joined by two middle-school aged kids. They were both obviously not totally excited about getting into the water but desirous of the blessing thereof. That being said, the method they used was to enter into the water, dunk themselves, come out again, collect their courage, and enter the water again. As it was my first time I followed their example. When I was coming out of the water from my final dunk several older men came into the hut. Once they started dipping (three times in quick succession) I realized I had made a terrible, cold mistake… Maybe I’ll be blessed further for such extreme self sacrifice…




The pool into which I dipped: (I would have pictures of me actually dipping but they would be rather indecent)

Following this we headed back to the monastery to attend the vigil in the Church of the Kazan icon of the Theotokos, in which are located the relics of Elders Moses, Antony, and Isaac I (the Elder-Abbots of the monastery).

While this is the largest church in the monastery it was completely packed with people. I took my place at the back as I didn’t feel like pushing up closer. After a while (during the kathsima of matins) someone came through the back of the church an announced that if it was too crowded in this church, the vigil was also taking place in the Church of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. As my legs needed some walking I headed over to this church in which are the relics of Elders Ambrose and Nektary.
Church of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple:

As I had decided that I was going to try to have a confession in Russian, the legal and I studied up on my Russian sins on the way to the monastery. Confessions started towards the end of matins so I took my place at the back of one of the “lines” (more like a crowd). After a while the legal reported that there was another priest hearing confessions and that the line wasn’t very long so I transferred my waiting to this line and had a, what I guess we can call, “successful” confession before the abbot of the monastery.
Dinner was set to be at 10 pm so after my confession we had our second grueling meal in the trapeza. Next, considering that the early liturgy started at 5:30 am, was the ever-important sleep.
Unfortunately I did not have a tripod so this is the best picture I
could get at such an early hour:

After the early liturgy and an akathist to St. Ambrose which was in the Church of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple we had some free time in which we visited the newest church in the monastery in which are the relics of the newest proclaimed saint of Optina, Elder Raphael (Sheichenko) who reposed in 1957.

We then met a former fellow university classmate of the legals who in turn introduced us to a hieromonk of Optina with which I may have the opportunity to help edit texts/translations in English.
With that comes to an end our stay at Optina Pustyn. We gathered our belongings and boarded the bus for Shamordino.
The gates to the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos Holy Ambrose Pustyn:

The Kazan Icon of the Theotokos Cathedral:

The guide gave a short talk about the monastery and then we spent about 30 minutes walking where we would. As for the legal and I, we purchased icons for our wedding in the bookstore, went and drew water from the spring, and venerated the icons in the cathedral.
As with all pilgrimages (besides that great pilgrimage which is human life), it came to an end and we once again boarded the bus bound for Moscow.
(You can see quite a number of additional photos here.)