Today started very similar to the other days. A group of us walked to the park that surrounds the city, and ate lunch at a little café. Then we walked past St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, on our way to do shopping at the
“Russia Department Store”. Similar to the Vernisage, there were many vendors selling their goods. But instead of being art and souvenirs, they were selling more quotidian items, like bags, watches, and sunglasses. We did improve a little on our bartering skills. We learned how to walk to a competing store and shop both places, to find who will give us a better price. When the vendors saw us looking at another store, they were more willing to come down on price. We also learned the skill of showing interest in an item, bartering down, and if the vendor disagrees, to put the item down and walk away. The vendor ended up calling us back and agreeing to our asking price.
Then an interesting thing happened. As we were walking by, a lady tapped me on the arm, and was signaling at me. I didn’t understand at first what she was asking, but then I figured out she was asking if she could take a picture with me. […] It was the strangest and funniest thing. I guess today I got a small taste of what it must be like to be a celebrity.
Afterwards we went to dinner at the Diamond restaurant, which is where we had gone on Independence Day. We sat on the balcony again, which has a beautiful view overlooking Republic Square and the fountain water show. On the opposite side, there were fireworks, which we could also kind of see, from our seats. The food was delicious again, the same as it was the first time we went.
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