Last night, as I was writing my blog in the hotel bar (where the electrical plug-ins are), I met two wonderful couples from Manitoba, Canada.  I had an evening of good company, lots of laughs, and one more beer than usual, and I slept like a log. It was wonderful!  I hope that I have a handle on the jet lag, and that I will have my days and nights straightened out now, until I embark on the 9 hour flight to Sakhalin island, and have it to do all over again.

Breakfast was long over in the restaurant when I finally came downstairs, and as they had a large group coming in for lunch, I was on the street without breakfast.  Lucky for me, in a lot of the underground walkways, there is a whole market of shops lining one wall.

Along with the clothing, shoes, and trinkets, I found one that had lovely filled buns.  I had no idea what would be in it, but pointing came to the rescue again, and my sauerkraut-filled bun was delicious.

Onto the metro and down to Red Square again.  I’m getting the hang of it now, following the signs to the right line at transfer points, and came out right where I wanted, beside the Lenin Library,

(statues on the top of the building they love statues here )

and just across the street from the entrance to the Kremlin.

There were blockades up that weren’t yesterday, and I discovered that the Kremlin was closed today, as it is a holiday tomorrow, and preparations are being made.  Oh well, I caught the last 5 minutes of the Free Moscow bus tour, and learned about Arbat street and where to find cheap food.  I also got the details for the Moscow Metro Tour at 4 pm.  My day was planned.

I went down new Arbat Street first, and found out what happens to people who don’t park in the right place here.

I also found the biggest bookstore I’ve ever seen.  This whole building is books and stationary…. two floors.

Arbat Street is a pedestrian street, full of eating places and coffee shops that won’t break the bank, including some you may recognize  – street artists,

and dozens of souvenir shops. Most of them carry roughly the same merchandise.  I bought my Moscow magnet, and a few post cards.

And I followed Elena’s suggestion and ate lunch at Mymy (Pronounces Moo moo) – you can see why here.

I had borscht in a black spotted bowl, a salad and grapefruit juice for under $10.

There are a few fairly familiar sights along Arbat Street –

And some more exclusive shops like a more expensive souvenir shop with some wonderful treasures. Some of these photos are through the windows, so pardon the quality or lack thereof.

I had a good afternoon wandering along, watching the people and poking my head into the shops to see what they were offering, although I have zero room in my luggage for souvenirs.

And then I headed back to the Kremlin for my Moscow metro tour……. which is way too much to add to this post, so stay tuned.