Old Arbat Street, Moscow

We arrived Moscow late Thursday evening, August 14^th.  Given the speed with which we arranged this trip for Kunduz’ wedding, we had only enough time to obtain an expedited 72 hour transit visa for Russia.   Jim and I want to make the most of our three nights and two days here, but that first night all we had energy for was an evening stroll before bed.  By luck, we booked a fantastic hotel.  It's the Mercure Arbat, and is located in the historic central part of Moscow at one end of Old Arbat street (at Smolenskaya Square).  

Old Arbat street has quite a history.  Dating back to the 15^th century, it may be one of the oldest surviving streets outside of the Kremlin.  It has a famous past:  Russian nobility had their homes there.  And, it has an infamous past:  When Ivan the Terrible established Russia’s first secret police (the forerunner to today’s KGB), their headquarters were located on Arbat street.  Many a family feared the release of the day’s orders issued from here for interrogations or killings of people suspected of treason.  

Nowadays, Old Arbat is approximately a one kilometer pedestrian-only street.  Around ten

o’clock that first night, the patios of restaurants and cafes are filled.  Since it is August, it is harvest time.  Thus, there were seasonal booths set up to sell jams, honey, fruits and vegetables.

People walked arm and arm in both directions.  Individual street musicians, including an old woman on crutches playing a balalaika, performed for small groups of listeners.  Portrait artists or caricaturists call out to passers-by – and even one tattoo artist (although I never saw a person sit down on his chair!)  One woman had a cat on a box – and as far as Jim and I could tell, people were paying money to pet the cat! 

Jim and I walk to the end of Old Arbat, turn around, and walk back slowly back to our hotel. A beautiful night.  A great introduction to Moscow.