If you’re looking for a place to buy cheap souvenirs, this is it. The market clashes against the landscape with its crazy-looking buildings, bringing together all types of “Russian” architecture (honestly, I’m not quite sure how to classify the designs of the buildings).
The market is enormous, and everybody is bound to find something. The key to getting the best prices: haggling. Almeda and I are not talented at this, but we discovered that when we mentioned that we study at MGU, people would light up and tell us about a family member or friend that goes there, making a personal connection with us.
Towards the back, we found the remains of an old, rusted imitation of St. Basil’s Cathedral. It looks like it may have been a carnival ride at some point. Near it was a rusted park and large matryoshka.
Near the main entrance, we found the bread museum and the vodka museum, but since they had a small admission fee, we decided against visiting. We had a passerby take this wonderful picture of us:
In one of our classes today, we were asking our professor about the best places to buy souvenirs. She was strongly opposed to anything from the Izmailovsky market, saying that the items sold there are not ‘real’ (настоящий) souvenirs. Having visited there, this has a ring of truth to it. No doubt the market is a tourist attraction, and it’s likely that many of the items sold there are mass-produced. She listed a few places that sold real, handcrafted Russian souvenirs (such as the Matryoshka Museum), and acknowledged that they would be more expensive. Almeda and I believe that the Izmailovsky market is still worth a visit; there are so many things to look at, so many little, stereotypical Russian souvenirs, and there’s always the possibility of finding a gem.
It was a wonderful day to walk around outside, and to finish off the day, we bought ice cream. Almeda chose a roll of chocolate ice cream encased in a hardened layer of chocolate (no doubt, absolutely delicious) and it began to melt. Fast. Luckily I had a fork and a plastic bag in my backpack.
Almeda looking happy for the camera, with the buses looming in the background, amused by the struggle.
Great pictures! Sounds like the perfect day…cheap souvenir shopping and ice cream (in Russia, no less)! Who could ask for anything more?
Came across this while doing a little reminiscing about my summer in Moscow (1993). One of my favorite Saturday pastimes was wandering through the Izmailovsky Market. Bought many souvenirs for folks back home, but also some great Central Asian rugs for my apartment, and a gorgeous hand-embroidered linen tablecloth and napkins that I still use and treasure. Thanks for the photos and the memories. (And for those who don’t know, Russian ice cream is delicious!)