Russia 2019 (23) MOSCOW - Next Stop ... Shopping

Last stop of the day was Old Arbat Street. It has existed since the 15th century, so one of the oldest in Moscow. It was upscale shopping at one time with celebrities like the Tolstoys and Gagarins living nearby. Now it is interesting, but a bit of a tourist trap. We were advised it is not the best place to buy our souvenirs.

It is a pedestrian-only shopping street about one kilometer (.6 mile) long. We had about 45 minutes to  browse on our own.

Near the end of the walkway is a mural of Russian WWII hero General Georgy Zhukov.

For sale are matryoshka (meaning "little matron") dolls. They are also known as stacking, nested or babushka dolls. They were first made in 1890 by wood-turning artisans using Linden branches. Each set is not made from one piece of wood, but many pieces. The world record so far is a 51-piece set. There are unlimited themes. Most popular are fairy tales, holiday, and Russian celebrities or peasants.

Buy Russian fur hats. Some are faux fur these days, but fox, wolf, rabbit, beaver, badger, coyote, chinchilla, mink, raccoon, wolverine, squirrel, nutria, skunk, and more are all readily available. We heard that most furs come from China, not Russia.

Toy guns made from wood, including AR-15s.

We saw a mobile bookstore.

Paintings for sale.

Need hair extensions?

While here, take a photo with a famous celebrity.

 

Chocolate, linens, lacquer boxes, and amber were big sellers.

Some lovely statues were strewn throughout. Here's poet, author, playwright Alexander Pushkin and his wife Natalya.

This is a statue of Princess Turandot of the Carlo Gozzi play Princess Turandot. This lovely lady had an "admirer" sleeping at her feet. One of the few homeless we saw on the entire trip.

This statue stands in front of the Vakhtangov Theatre, one of 250+ live arts theaters in Moscow.

We saw very few black folks in Russia. This man waited for friends near a cinema.

Also, very few examples of graffiti around down, but this one really stood out.

Some period homes were mixed in.

How about a bite? Among other places, you can buy Auntie Anne pretzels or a Cinnabon.

The only place we entered was the drug store. Mike bought a package of tea and some cough drops.

It is an herbal tea with a flower graphic that I didn't recognize. I tried to translate from Cyrillic -- ДИВНЫЙ ВЕЧЕР -- to English with the result being "Amazing Evening." A sleeping aid, I imagine. Maybe someone out there can help me with this. Upon opening the package it had the tiniest bit of peppermint and a whole lot funk!

Just as we were leaving, it started to rain. Some shared umbrellas borrowed from the boat and the rest squeezed under a bus stop cover.

Mike just let his hat "protect" him.