Seeking Equality

                                                          (Web picture)


The other day I bumped into a beggar, not the usual type of beggar . It was a young woman holding in her left hand a plastic jar for coins, and in her right hand a ...smartphone for keeping her company during her sitting (on a chair) and waiting for the coins to come.

That made me think.
I know some families that are clients of the welfare authorities, and not only do they have smartphones but also cars, airconditioners, and other items that are not exactly considered basics.

The above reminded me of an article I once read.   According to that article the task of social welfare nowadays is not only to assure a minimum of living to everyone, but also to seek some sort of equality .

Well, the world is certainly changing.  We live in a society of tremenduous gaps, and this is a very explosive situation that has to be dealt with one way or another . 

Moscow 10 - Old Arbat Street

The 'soul" of Moscow as they call it, is a long pedestrian street full of atmosphere. Easy to get there. At one end, the Arbatskaya metro station, at the other end, the Smolenskaya metro station. 

It has everything;   a bank, a cute post office, theaters, an automatic toilette which opens with a plastic card (obtained by inserting some coins in a slot), the headquarters of Aeroflot - the russian airlines .
.

              W.C.- a cop showed me how to get the card that opens it.

                    front of the Vakhtangov State Academic theater

                                                         Post Office at a corner

The street is lined with souvenir shops and  eateries, sprinkled with street performers and art vendors. Amid all this - the house of Alexander Pushkin, the famous russian poet, where he lived for several months with his young wife Natalia.

Teremok - chain food specializing in russian crepes

Paintings for sale

                                        Pushkin's house museum

                      young bronze couple: Pushkin and his beloved

                                                         Pigeons'  vendor

                                         Tai chi demo by the girl in blue

I visited twice: on a cloudy day and on a bright day and enjoyed it on both visits. Perhaps it's not a "must see"  place, but still one that gives much insight into the russian way of life (past and present), and offers a pleasant stroll along an old and famous street.

Moskow 9 -- Moskva river boat tour

Moscow, the capital city of Russia, is situated on the banks of the river Moskva . A river trip or cruise is a great and...monotonous way to see the city center and its main attractions; no traffic, no smog, no pressure of any kind. It's cool and cozy inside the cabin;  you can buy a drink and enjoy the views .

inside the boat cabin

There are all kinds of boats circulating on the river, and several kinds of tours to choose from. I bought my tour ticket at the embankment near the Kievskaya metro/railway station ( a very impressive building in itself). It was a one way ticket to Novospassky bridge, and from there I walked up to Proletarskaya metro station.

The views on both sides of the river are captivating: the "Red October"chocolate factory (I fell for their milk bar 'Alenka'), Gorki Park (russian Disnyland),  the Kremlin, St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow State University, the Tetryakov Gallery, Peter the Great monument, etc...

'Red October' chocolate factory

                              Tetryakov contemporary art Gallery

                                   Peter the Great monument (partially captured)

At the end of this leisurely water trip, I felt glad I gave myself the opportunity of seeing  Moscow from another angle.

Moscow 8 - GUM and ZUM

It may sound strange, but the above words are the names of two very respectable department stores in the very heart of Moscow: Gum (pronounced Goom) located along the Red Square, and Zoom (pronounced Tsoom) next to the Bolshoi Theater.

GUM is actually a shopping mall, and a very expensive one. 
I think there's something wrong in the location  of this extravagant mall in the historic center of Moscow, especially opposite Lenin's mausoleum.
Having said that, the place is well worth a visit as it is unique architecturally.

                          the red  color belongs to Lenin's mausoleum

It is not exactly an one - piece building like ZUM; it consists of a series of arcades on three levels connected by small bridges and covered with a glass roof. Inside, there are lots of designer shops with western brands. It definitely has class, and it fits the requirements of both the russian elite and the rich tourists.

                      the glass ceiling and the interconnecting bridges

On the ground floor there's a luxury supermarket (which sells among other goodies, finest vodka and black kaviar). For the people with a tight budget there are the ice cream stands which are very popular.( I must confess I didn't like the taste of the local ice cream sold there).

                         licking icecream always makes a good picture

On the third floor I got acquainted with an eatery called Solovaya 57. It's a sort of canteen where you can have a decent meal for a decent price. I had lunch there  twice, and fell in love with their pastry of cherry strudel and cherry pie.

                   people taking the escalator to the Solovaya 57 canteen

                                            Solovaya 57- inside and outside


ZUM is situated in the theater area (Bolshoi and Mali theaters). It is a high end department store with renowned brands in clothing, cosmetics, shoes, accessories, perfumeries. Those looking for real fur will find it here.Those who wish to relax with a cup of coffee will do so at the nice cafe on the fourth floor,

                          the facade of  ZUM department store

Across the store there are some shops, eateries and benches. People seem to enjoy sitting on those benches , and looking ahead at the entrance of ZUM, at people going in and out of the big store.

             in the background, the red sign of the back side of ZUM