I May Not Speak Russian, But I’m Not Stupid

After breakfast, we met V in the hotel lobby and headed to the famous Izmaylovo Market.

It’s a giant flea market located just outside our hotel (the fun buildings in most of my earlier Look at the Smog from our Hotel Window! photos). If we wanted to buy it, it was available. V came along to serve as our translator and bargain master.

Market entrance

After about an hour of hunting and purchasing, I sent V and The Boy on to work. I’d purchased just enough things to feel like I knew what prices ought to be and didn’t want to waste any more of their time.

The market was crowded.

It was wholesale day - making it easier to buy in bulk.

Good thing I’d paid attention to those prices, too. After V left, prices doubled. But hey, I’ve lived in Kenya where haggling is the norm. This wasn’t my first time at the market.

I walked away paying the same prices that V had negotiated (yay, me!) and felt exhilarated that most of the souvenir shopping was done.

Matryoshka

I spent the remainder of the afternoon sweating and resting. There’s nothing like a siesta to help pass a hot afternoon!

The Boy returned late that evening, looking tired from auditing but oddly refreshed. The office is air-conditioned! he announced.

I immediately knew where I would spend the next day!

We had a quick dinner at a local café then headed back to get some rest. Once again the temperatures dropped in the evening. One might even call them slightly cooler. If only our room had more than an 8-inch fan and a 3-foot window.

Steak, potatoes and pickled horseradish slices

Bliny and mushrooms

I guess you can’t have everything you want in life. But you can prop a door open, get naked and make the best of it.