The beginning of December

It's unusually warm here at the moment, but it's certainly not tropical. One good thing about this is that there are few insects.

Dogs often wander in metro stations and snuggle up to sleep. There are many stray dogs in Moscow and I can't imagine how they manage to keep warm and get enough to eat.


New Years trees are going up everywhere you look.


I haven't been out much lately, but this past weekend I happened upon the weekend clothing market at Sportivnaya. You can buy cosmetics, wigs, jeans, clothing, boots, food, hats, and endless other items. Place your orders now! However, keep in mind that I have very little room in my luggage.

In Moscow people train dogs to beg for money. People are quite generous giving spare change to babushkas in the street and amputees in camo on the metro, but nothing brings out the awws like a dog holding a pail for cash.



Storage at the market.






Next I visited the Novedevichy Cemetary. There are dozens of famous Russians buried here. I spent a long time copying down map information and figuring out whose graves I wanted to visit. Here's Boris Yeltsin's grave:


I couldn't find all the graves I was looking for, so I intend to go back sometime in the future.


Next door is the New Maiden's Convent.



Here's a model of the grounds.