My Name is Aviatius

Greetings, Fellow Traveler!

It will be nice to have a companion on this road, though it appears you will take this journey through my words rather than travel the rough roads yourself.  I shall do my best to illustrate our journey through my words, and through the occasional picture as we go along.

This garb is common for my people,
though I imagine it will hardly due for my journey

Before we get too far, I shall introduce myself.  My name is Aviatius of Constantinople.  I was previously a storyteller honored by the king himself.  My favorite tales focus around great battles, feasts, and beautiful churches. Sadly, I made the mistake of telling the king the same story twice.  As punishment, he has exiled me to this new land of the Rus to learn some new tales.  Luckily, I have no family to leave behind, making this a rather exciting adventure for me.
I have heard tales of this place during my time at the palace of his majesty.  The land is rugged, with its harsh winters, deep forests, and many rivers.  The people, they tell me, are odd, with many strange traditions.  They have only recently aligned themselves with our people, and have not figured out what it means to be Christian yet.
However, I look forward to meeting them and exploring their way of life.  My first stop will be in far off Novgorod.  I hear they are building churches, and have a few holy men.  I will see what there is to tell of them.  I hope they do not disappoint!