The days just get better and better. I had decided not to do any long walks today so that my legs could recover from yesterday. The day beckoned however so I thought I would just go for a short one-hour walk. I had wanted to visit the Vagankovo Cemetery, which is only about fifteen minutes from here. (If we could explain what to click you could see our building, but there is no way to mark it.) It is the second largest cemetery in Moscow and it is where those who didn’t qualify to be buried in Novodevichy are relegated. It is known as a sports and artist cemetery and there are some rather unusual markers. One in particular is shaped like a football pitch (from CC: he means soccer field) and is the marker for one of the great Russian soccer players. It is a very, very large place and it was very crowded since today is Good Friday and everyone is making sure that the grave sites are cleaned and filled with fresh flowers for the Easter pilgrimage that most Russian families make to honor their loved ones. In fact, as I think I mentioned, most roads around the cemeteries are to be blocked this weekend to make sure everyone can walk in safety. I saw lots of police presences today.
Vagankovo has a much different feel than Novodevichy. It far more densely populated and feels much more like a burial ground than a must-see stop for tourists and a photo op for newlyweds. It is very pretty and I’m sure that in the summer it is just as lovely as this 360° photo. Here are some other photos that you might enjoy. I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures today with everyone working on the graves. The flower vendors that line both sides of the road to the entrance were doing a brisk business in both fresh and plastic flowers, and to tell you the truth, the plastic ones looked better. It turns out my one-hour walk turned into two hours but it was very pleasant and peaceful and I was happy to be off the major roads.
Texting while walking is becoming an epidemic here. I can’t tell you how many people have been bumped and bruised by people aimlessly walking with their heads turned down typing or reading some message. Yesterday there was a serious case of a pedestrian chain reaction as one woman just stopped in the middle of a narrow sidewalk to type a message and she was darn near run over by those behind her. Things just stopped until everyone could get back into a walking rhythm again.
We have no real plans for Easter Weekend. One of our granddaughters, Emily, asked us to go to the Pushkin Museum and take some photos since she is studying Chagall in school. She is like in fifth grade and they are studying Chagall?? I think I was still learning colors in fifth grade, but hey, that’s progress.
Dinner was a simple affair. I pan seared some tuna fillets and finished them with a lime/teriyaki glaze and served them with assorted vegetables. We had a lovely white Bordeaux to accompany the fish and that added a touch of elegance. Speaking of wine, I found two bottles of Vinho Verde at the Liberty store. They were only eight bucks each and only have 10° alcohol so I scooped them up and we’ll try them this weekend. It will be a lovely way to celebrate Easter.
Happy Easter Weekend, Cindy and Wm
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