I left the metro looking up at the gloomy sky wondering if it was going to interfere with my day. It has been overcast for some time. I am ready for sunshine! I started walking on my route when a Russian man actually said hello to me. I stopped in shock at the first time a Russian was nice to me on the street. NEVER HAPPENS! I continued on the path looking for the light blue clock tower of the nearby church. I climbed up a path to reach it but soon to take the steep path to the valley passing a small boy more interested in playing with his stick than follow his mother somewhere. That somewhere was the creek where person after person bottle after bottle of “special” water. Small…medium…large. Somehow this water is “special”.
I left to continue my journey passing nature. Falling leaves foretold winter coming. Bird houses foretold birds chirping…which they did. One even “battled” others to “reign” over his bird houses and the food inside flying at them and chirping away. Then I met the Moscow River and its calm movements. The sound of fishermen “swishing” their sticks into the water met their moans when the realized they caught nothing. One man even lives along the river with his tent and his table.

Yet the adventure of the day was the walk about the river. The path, under construction, was in deep mud from the water run off coming from the hillside above. My boots squished here and there wading through the path. Finally, I made it to concrete. I celebrated…until I saw the cement truck laying yet more concrete. I scampered up the hill to the gravel path to then return to the river path until a fence stopped it. I hiked to the top of the hill where the Panda Café called out for some rest. I found a seat overlooking the canopy park with my tea pot and pastry in hand. I knew the pastry was past its time with I could not cut through it with my spoon. The weak tea didn’t help the café’s reputation either. I left happy from the café’s warmth and nothing else. What excited me were the kids having a blast hanging on the wires going from tree to tree walking along tree trunks or wires or ropes. I did something like that in the past and would do so again…next time…

The park kept going along with more activities. A girl raced by with her paper vying to win the scavenger race while an older man later came by focused to win it as well. Kids rode by. Families shared time with each other. Suddenly I saw a squirrel rush to his bowl of nuts and scutter to the bottom of a tree trunk. I haven’t seen a squirrel yet in Moscow so I jumped in excited to see the red critter. However, a mother also excited expressed her happiness by shouting at her kids to see the squirrel. One minute I could see it the next minute I saw air. To say the least, it ran away. What a shame.

My next stop, far from nature, is the largest electronic mall in Europe. Let me tell you, it is the largest one I’ve ever been in with its zones and colors and hallways and escalators. Cell phones rule the day. Soooo many stalls selling this cell product and that product. The major brands also had their good size stalls; Panasonic and Sony. My favorite store had the moving animals. The lion moved his head this way and that while the monkey excited say hello. I could only afford to say hello when I saw the prices for the stoves and refrigerators. That is nowhere near as weird as seeing the kiosk selling guns, knives, and bullets in a mall next door. I walked around the case imagining people breaking the glass stealing the silencer to have their way in the mall. However, I was interested in buying some of the knives. Way cool for the knives but NOT for the guns!

My last stop was yet another church. I tried to open the door but found it locked. A man removed a bar to let me in for a fee…of course. I could pay another fee to take photos…ok. I entered the side room and its darkness. I gestured to the man that he needed to turn on the lights. I looked confused. I ended up covering my eyes as a hint I needed some light. OH! He finally got it to open the windows. Then he asked me if I wanted to go up to the balcony for yet another fee. No. I was too busy taking photos of the three story alter. Way cool!

My adventure continued into the early evening when I went to the Red Square for dinner. Apparently, the Russians lit the torch that night. I didn’t know. All I saw were Russians going through security to a central area. I went in too. Passing the many souvenir stands, I kept going but turned around when I saw nothing. My stomach said it was time to eat so I headed to the old fashioned mall on the Red Square with its Soviet Style cafeteria. The décor of old but the food of fresh today, I needed something. Buckwheat and pork chop. I know it may not sound fantastically imaginative but after the busy day I had I needed something comfortable and stable. I knew what I was going to taste…I did…and they were good!

Check out the Russian Winter Olympic Torch in the attached photo! I head to South Korea for vacation. Have fun!