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Tolya
buys his caviar FRESH (no preservatives) and it must be eaten within
3 days of being harvested. Even in Russia, this black caviar (in the
dish in front of Steve) costs about $250 for 2 LB...and there is at
least that much in the dish!
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But,
for a real IMPRESSION, Tolya opens one of his bottles of $100 (US DOLLARS!)
wine...and told us that he consumes one bottle of it EVERY DAY! (It's
a shame, but Steve STILL doesn't know the taste of $100/bottle wine.
Sigh....................!)
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“Old
Arbot” street is closed to vehicle traffic and is a favorite place
for tourists to buy Russian souvenirs. There many souvenir shops as
well as kiosks and displays are set up in the center of the street itself.
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While
a number of the kiosks had flags and emblems with the symbol of the
former Soviet Union for sale, we did not pick any up for our house.
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We
both enjoyed looking at the many souvenirs being offered by the vendors
located along "Old Arbot" street.
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Lena
simply fell in love with these "ragdolls" she discovered in
one particular shop. They were of particular interest to her because
the clothing accurately reflected Russian clothing worn years ago.
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Lena
loved the woman in red clothing who is weaving material, but chose the
male doll at the bottom of the photo (which is also wearing summer clothing)
to go with the weaver. It was her most exciting purchase on the trip!
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Russia
is famous for its many different wooden, hand-painted MATRYOSHKA dolls
which come in sets of varying sizes. This "Putin" doll also
has 6 other former leaders of Russia and the Soviet Union inside it.
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Here
Lena examines one of the many fine examples of hand-woven wool scarves
which are exceptionally good buys in Russia.
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Steve
did not need to know any Russian to figure out that this statue was
advertising some kind of restaurant.
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Some
Russians with retail establishments located in tourist areas are quick
to 'capitalize' on ideas which they think might attract Westerns. This
"Uncle Sam Needs You" is in front of a restaurant catering
to tourists.
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Many
of the average Russian's daily needs for food and supplies are sold
in outdoor "bazaars" located near subway stations or large
housing complexes. This is the bazaar which Anya frequently uses near
her subway.
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Each
of these outdoor booths is owned and operated by individuals who carry
a very narrow line of products catering to a specific need. There are
booths for everything from shoes, clothing, electrical supplies, ....
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....tools,
baby toys, kitchen utensils, pots and pans, dishes, hardware, rugs,
paintings, art works, paper supplies....
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....and
even plumbing supplies and toilets!
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Here
we pick out a very low-priced blanket for the back of our couch at home.
(Prices for blankets were similar to those in Mexico, but were of better
workmanship and had different designs and patterns.)
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A
KEY goal was to go to the US Embassy to try to get Anya a VISA so that
she could come visit us in San Diego. The US State Department has made
it almost IMPOSSIBLE for a unmarried Russian (or Philippine...
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...or
Indian) FEMALE to get a tourist visa because many individuals failed
to return to their country. Anya had been rejected TWICE previously
for a tourist visa and we hoped a personal visit to the Embassy would
help.
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To
make a long story short, we WERE successful in obtaining a ONE TIME
ENTRY Tourist Visa and celebrated the achievement with ice cream at
Baskin-Robbins! Anya will visit us in August, 2001 for three weeks.
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Steve
still visits his Ohio family twice per year and since it still snows
in winter in Ohio, he looked at Russian fur hats while in Moscow. Unfortunately,
the selection of hats available in JUNE was limited!
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Steve REALLY liked this rather exotic and erotic MINK version of the Russian winter hat....BUT, not enough to pay over $300 for something he would only wear once a year to Ohio (at most)! |
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As mentioned above, a wide variety of merchandise is sold in small booths or "kiosks" located along the sidewalk or in bazaar areas. This particular kiosk model is styled after a Russian MATRYOSHKA doll. |
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Steve suggested to his brother, Dave, that he build a kiosk like this to use for selling his merchandise. Dave told him it was too beautiful and would not work: Guys in Ohio would fall in love with it and want to MARRY IT! <grin> |
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Anya took Steve to an out-of-the-way shopping bazaar which carried souvenir type merchandise and which was not generally frequented by tourists. Prices for goods in this bazaar were much better than at shops normally seen by tourists. |
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