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Russia
2007 Markets, Shopping, and Food |
Main Travel Page Main Russia Page |
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| Moscow |
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This is the Izmaylovo market in Moscow. It is a huge outdoor complex of stalls, selling all kinds of Russian goods. One guidebook says it used to be an amusement park, which gives you some idea of the scale. (I'm not sure, but I think the Chatachuck Market in Bangkok—the link is to my Thailand trip—is still the biggest in the world.) Does anybody out there know for sure? |
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This is a temporary market near our hotel in Moscow. Note the Coca-Cola awnings. Capitalism has made huge inroads since 1991. |
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Produce in early morning light. Easy to photograph for non-artistic types like me! |
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More produce, with people this time. |
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I think markets are one of the best things to visit in any country. It is interesting to see what kinds of things the local people are interested in buying, and they always assault your senses, in a good way. |
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I bought some of the yellow stuff. We never figured out exactly what it was. My guess is sugared pineapple or something like that. It was good. |
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This is back at the Izmaylovo market. The guys in the next picture were roasting this salmon—among the most popular fish in Russia. I sat at this little table and watched the market in action—another memorable meal. |
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These guys were also making shish kebobs or some kind of meat on a stick. |
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Since I was traveling with a group, we had a lot of our meals prearranged in tourist-class hotels. This is typical of what we got there: almost every meal started with this Russian salad. Note also the caviar on the bliny (the thing like a pancake). |
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My two favorite meals in Russia were at Central Asian restaurants. This one was Georgian, I believe. |
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| St.
Petersburg |
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This is a small store on the platform of the St. Petersburg train station. The items for sale are on display on the outside, and I guess you go up to the little window and tell them what you want. |
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A close-up of the previous picture. |
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I always try to seek out markets, since they are just about the most interesting thing in every country. This is the Sytny Market, in St. Petersburg. |
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This looks like mostly dried fruits and some vegetables. There was lots of this in Moscow as well. |
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After I took this picture, one of the workers came up and asked us to stop taking pictures. I wonder why? Maybe some holdover from Soviet days? Or maybe they just thought it was weird for me to be taking pictures inside what is essentially a supermarket? |
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We had a lot of meals that started with this kind of Russian salad. It was good. |
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Russian fast food. This is at a chain called Teremok, which specializes in bliny. I wonder if they've updated the bliny a bit to make it kind of like pizza or if they've always been like that? |
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More Russian fast food. Fish, fries, and more Russian salad. |
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This was at a fantastic Georgian restaurant in St. Petersburg called Kafe Tbilisi. The drink is sparkling pear juice. |
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This was a kind of pastry with cheese and spinach, at the same restaurant. |
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Two of the people on our trip actually knew someone who owns a restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg, so we went there one day. |
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| Go on to the Kremlin and Red Square page. |
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