My favourite season is the Fall for a number of reasons. One of which is the comfortable climate. I adore the cool nights (it is heaven to me to be able to snuggle under piles of duvets and blankets and crisp sheets) and the warm, sunny days. Even though the hours of sunlight are quickly dwindling, the fall means school starts once again (hooray a trip to Staples without having to make up any excuses about why I NEED a new pen) and my birthday is coming up (yes, I’m still excited about birthdays despite now being “a certain age”) and the leaves begin to change colour. I miss my yearly drive in the Gatineau hills but there are enough leaves that change colour here to satisfy me until we move back to Canada - only just.
I love walking around the city in the Fall. It is cool enough that you’re comfortable even if you walk at a brisk pace and if you get chilly, there are always cafés close by where you can stop and warm up. This is simply a perfect, built-in excuse to indulge in a cinnamon-sprinkled cappuccino.
As the weather app (oh, how far we’ve come that I rely on an app rather than a real human being to inform myself about the weather) was predicting a high of 18C and sunny with a few clouds, I predicted that it was a great day to go for a long walk with a girlfriend. I wasn’t wrong.
Today’s destination of choice was an area of town I have been meaning to get to for, oh, about two years now. Not long after we moved to this fair city, I was given a lift from I have no idea where back to my home. On the way, my trusted driver asked if I had a moment as he wanted to share a great bakery and a quaint part of town with me. Always up for a new adventure, I quickly agreed and we stopped by the Волконский bakery where I purchased a delicious baguette and we then drove past Патриаршие пруды, Patriarshiy Ponds. He indicated that it is also used as a public skating rink in the winter.
Ever since that day I have been meaning to get back there and today was that day.
My agenda (and I always have an agenda) was packed with visiting the bakery once again (the memory of that delicious bread still lingers), walking around the pond and park and exploring the surrounding area while looking for a few cafes and restaurants that I had heard about.
What a stroke of luck! Not only was the walk very easy and direct but the pond area is truly lovely. I really should have followed the driver’s advice a very long time ago. I shall have to thank him for the great counsel. Bronze sculptures showing fables adorn the children’s side of the park and benches line the pond. There was even a pair of swans swimming about! Talk about a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city. I understand that the boat house-turned-restaurant is quite a lovely dining experience as well. It wasn’t quite open when we arrived this morning so that experience will have to wait for another time.
A quick turn to the left and we ducked into the Волконский bakery to buy two baguettes for later and a couple of pastries to go. As usual, the place was packed even though it was only 11AM. The bakery is notorious for its lineups but rightfully so. Their delicious and eye-catching products have earned the bakery that right. Viennoiseries in hand, strolling along the pond’s edge through the quiet neighbourhood, we could have been in Paris. No wonder I felt so at home. All that was missing was an accordionist playing a mournful version of La Vie En Rose.
We were about to head out to find the Friends Forever Cafe for a bite to eat when my companion noticed a very bizarre (even by Moscow standards bizarre) sign. Neither of us understood the iconography and neither of us could decipher the text despite the words seeming very familiar. There was no way I could retrieve the meaning from the deepest, darkest recesses of my addled mind.
Thankfully the internet saved the day! If you know anything about Russian literature, you will no doubt have heard of the novel Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. If, like me, you are aware of it but have not actually read the novel, then you won’t necessarily pick up on the multitude of references to the work all around you. *Note to self - finish War and Peace and read Master and Margarita ASAP. The seemingly enigmatic sign is a blatant reference to some of the main characters in Master and Margarita. The novel’s opening scene unfolds at the very pond where I stood staring at what, at the time, seemed to be a very random (and rare) example of whimsy. The text below the image warns spectators that it is forbidden to talk to strangers, especially those who would be the retinue of the Devil, himself. Sage advice, indeed.
One block east of the pond is Friends Forever Café, my new, favourite casual restaurant. My lunch of grilled shrimp on a bed of greens drizzled with honey dijon dressing and sprinkled with sunflower and pumpkin seeds was pure gastronomic delight. FFC is one of a group of restaurants based on the concept of introducing the best of America to Moscow. In the group there is a pub, a dessert place (with cupcakes, cakes, pies, etc like we make back in Canada), an all-day breakfast place that serves nutritious and delicious fare, a pasta and gelato place, a cafe and even a pizza place. They brew their own beer and roast their own beans as well. Does it get any better? I’m very impressed. It is a little taste of home in Moscow.
Friends ForeverI can’t wait to try out the rest of the offerings of the Friends Forever Company with Mr. U and friends.
http://www.friends-forever.ru/
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