Our first full day in Moscow..

 

We are staying at the Budapest Hotel witch is a nice hotel in a great location. We are only blocks from Red Square, the Bolshei, great shopping and fantastic restaurants.

 

We started this rainy Sunday with a trip on the Famous Russian Metro. ( One check for 1000 things to do before you die-Moscow).  There were chandeliers and statues everywhere- very ornate! We went out to the market in Ismillova. Ismilova is a huge open-air market where vendors set up in little booths and sell everything Russian….We bought a lot of items to be sold at the BRAFF Culture Camp Reunion for the summer of 2010. Jessie bought a Fox Hat and Dylan and Jack were obsessed with buying some real bullets until Andrei told them they would be confiscated at the Mongolian border and we might get thrown in Jail!! OH NO!!! (They haven’t figured out that Andrei is pulling their leg a lot- but the trip is early!). We are getting 30 rubles to the dollar (up from 24 last time I was here in 07.) The Bartering is exhausting but essential. I walked away from a beautiful music box for 100 Rubles difference between us..It seemed like so much at the time but now I am mad I lost it for a mere $3.00 !