You could easily spend a whole day at Moscow's Izmailovsky Park, with its reasonably priced souvenirs, handicrafts, used books, and such Soviet memorabilia as authentic army belts and gas masks. Matryoshky (nesting dolls) come in both classic and nouveau styles: some bear likenesses of Soviet and Russian leaders; others depict American basketball stars and Monica Lewinsky. Nearby is the former royal residence of Izmailovo, situated in an old hunting preserve. The flea market is open weekends 9-6, but it's best to get here early. Many vendors close down by midday. Be sure to wrangle over prices: bargaining is expected here. You can pay in dollars if you come up short on rubles; this practice is technically illegal, but everybody does it. In fact, vendors are known to prefer hard currency and will usually offer a better price for baksy (New Russian lingo for "bucks").
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