The Chemical Factory

During the cold war, Nizhny Novgorod was a closed city. Westerners were forbidden to come here, not to mention a chemical factory. Well not any more. Tuesday we paid a visit to a chemical factory on the outskirts of town. It was guarded by a tiny old lady who asked simply that one of us sign our name on the guest list. No further questions asked, we walked into one of the strangest places I've ever been in Russia. What were we doing at a chemical factory? Our gift boxes will contain samples of Nizhny Novgorod air, water, and soil. We were shopping for containers. This is the sort of item that would take about a minute to locate in New York. But we aren't in New York- we're in Russia!