I can't believe I am in Russia- Day 3- new years day in Zamoskvoreche (Moscow)

I walked through the subway (turning left at the kit of indoor pigeons) to the metro.  I had to buy my metro card today but I was ready this time.  I had written down words like ticket, trip, ten and eleven. (I wrote ten down because my book said that metro cards are sold in increments of 1, 5, 10, and 20. But the very dependable internet said 11 instead of 10 and I wanted to be prepared.) 

I told the employee, "Hello. I don't speak Russian. Ticket. Ten." She looked at me and then shook her head, and that was that.  

Hmmm.  Okay.  

Then I said "eleven", and she smiled and nodded her head. (I am really not sure what would have happened had I not had the number eleven written down.)  She showed me the price on her calculator and I paid and went on my merry way!  I didn't have to transfer so the metro was super simple to navigate. I wrote down my stop in Russian for good measure, TpeTbbackwardsRkOBCKabackwardsR. 

Easy!

TpeTbbackwardsRkOBCKabackwardsR is connected to HobokythenumberthreebackwardsHecombinationofuandthenumberfourKabackwardsR.  This station was designed in the middle of World War II, and is filled with military art.  I love the lampposts.  

This artwork is located just outside the metro station, and is one of my favorite representations of the story of Adam and Eve.  Eve makes forbidden fruit look delicious. 

The Church of St Clement was built in the 1720s, and is an example of late Moscow Boroque.  During the Soviet era the Lenin State Library stored their books here.  

I forgot to mention that there was nobody out this morning, because it was new years day.  I couldn't be happier to have Zamoskvoreche district practically to myself.  

Unfortunately this meant that everything was closed but I enjoyed just walking around and taking pictures.  

Zamoskvoreche was settled in the 13th century to guard against the Mongols.  Later when the royal guard moved in so did artisans who served the courts and a plethora of churches.  

Soviet architecture is pretty.  

The Tretyakov Gallery was backwardsRHBapbackwardsR.  That sucks.  

But I guess I should have known better, it was new years after all.  

In 1670, the royal guard provided the funds for the Church of St Nicholas in Pyzhy, claimed to be one of the bell towers in Moscow.  

The Convent of SS Martha and Mary was one of my favorite buildings of the day.  It looks medieval but it is on the newer side, constructed just over one hundred years ago.

The limestone carvings contain mythical creatures.  

I lost track of which church is what but it was the first building I had been inside all day and I was excited about warming up a bit (I imagine that this was a big draw to join churches hundreds of years ago).  

The frescoes have seen better days but the wear is representative of what the buildings have been witness to.  If only the saints could talk... 

I walked through the longest, most disorienting and seemingly crime filled subway I had been in as of yet.  I have to say I am not a fan.  

I am in love and completely fascinated with Moscow metros.  If I had more time I would spend a day or maybe two exploring each stop.  This one in particular had a Soviet era look to it.  

After my day of walking around I grabbed a bottle of wine at a рынок.  

By the 1980s the Soviet Union was the world's fourth largest producer of wine.  Georgia is one of the oldest wine countries in the world.  I am not sure which country this is from (whether it is from Georgia or Armenia or Ukraine) but I can guarantee I have never had wine from that country before. It was good, but very sweet.