Wonderful walks around Zamoskvorechye
Walking around Moscow is my tourist and human hobby. It’s so nice to admire the ancient streets of the capital and find new interesting corners for yourself.
So April 18 - International Day of Monuments and Historical Sites - was very symbolic for me. Everything came together wonderfully on this day: clear, summer-warm day, several stunningly beautiful monuments and historical sites old Moscow and very important international event - a meeting with my friend from Bulgaria Olga Konovalova - Olechka, whose blog “Travel to France and Bulgaria” is well known to many of you. And it seemed like it was an everyday day, but everything turned out great. And this is further proof that we do miracles with our own hands. The main thing is to desire them and meet them halfway.
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We agreed on the proposed meeting with Olga a long time ago, but it was impossible to be sure in advance that everything would work out. Too serious events preceded them. Therefore, when my Russian-Bulgarian friend called me on April 17 and said that she was in Moscow and we had time to meet before her departure, I knew that I would definitely go to this meeting. It was necessary to resolve the issue of picking up my daughter from kindergarten. My wonderful husband came to my aid, the issue was resolved.
We agreed to meet on Tretyakovskaya - in the center of Moscow, in Zamoskvorechye. The perfect place. A priori, there cannot be any difficulties with where to go, what to see, where to eat. There is everything and in huge quantities. Just reserve your strength.
I arrived early. There was a whole hour left before meeting Olechka, and I went to wander around Zamoskvorechye.
Tretyakovskaya metro station is located in Klimentovsky Lane. It connects Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street with Bolshaya Ordynka. Part of the lane - from Pyatnitskaya to Ordynka - is pedestrian. That's where I went. The first thing that attracted my attention was the Church of the Holy Martyr Clement of the Pope (Transfiguration of the Lord). This is the largest temple in Zamoskvorechye, a unique monument of Russian architecture in the Baroque style. In the form in which we see it today, the church was built in the middle of the 18th century. For the last five years, the Clement Church has been undergoing restoration, which is promised to be completed at the end of 2014.
Almost every building on the northern side of Klimentovsky Lane houses cafes and restaurants - “Mu-Mu”, “Shokoladnitsa”, “Two Sticks”, “Coffee House”, “Vinegrette”, “Pesto”, “Marukame”, etc. 
Exterior decor of the Clement Church
Crossroads of Klimentovsky Lane and Pyatnitskaya Street
After getting acquainted with Klimentovsky Lane, I went for a walk along Bolshaya Ordynka. I was attracted by the dome of the church, located in the woods. That's where I headed.
Bell tower of the Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" (Transfiguration of the Savior) in the forests
Bolshaya Ordynka is the oldest street in Moscow, the center of Zamoskvorechye. What attracted my attention turned out to be the bell tower of the Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (Transfiguration of the Savior).
St. Bolshaya Ordynka. In the foreground is the cafe-restaurant "Ostrovsky"
The Transfiguration Church has a wonderful history, starting with its great creators. The temple was built by order of the merchant Dolgov, who had a house on Bolshaya Ordynka - directly opposite the church. Dolgov commissioned the design of the temple to the architect Vasily Bazhenov. During the Moscow fires in 1812, the temple was badly damaged and a quarter of a century later it was practically rebuilt by the architect O.I. Beauvais in the Empire style. In the temple there is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow".
Exterior decor of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow"
Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" (Transfiguration of Our Savior)
Zamoskvorechye is an amazing place. It's very interesting here. And a week is not enough to see all the sights. Within walking distance from the Tretyakovskaya metro station are: the Tretyakov Gallery, the Anna Akhmatova Museum, more than a dozen ancient churches, as well as the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent. I have already told you about two churches. I’ll tell you about two more temples and the monastery later.
Scheme of cultural and historical places of Zamoskvorechye
And now I will interrupt the story about the sights of Zamoskvorechye to continue the story about the events of April 18, 2013.
At half past twelve we met Olga and I at the Tretyakovskaya metro station. I recognized Olya from afar. It was impossible not to find out. She is exactly the same as I saw her in the photos on her blog and social networks. Just a little tired from my worries. First we decided to go to a cafe, then take a walk. On Olya's advice, we went to Pyatnitskaya in.
Restaurant "Rake" on Pyatnitskaya, 27
Indeed, the place turned out to be very nice - tasty, inexpensive, cozy. "Rake" on Pyatnitskaya, 27 is located in an old Zamoskvoretsk mansion of the 19th century. Very nice design in Art Nouveau style in light green tones. For some reason it reminds me of the French Provence style. It was very pleasant to look at the cute nuances of the atmosphere, eat delicious food and breathe fresh air, sitting on the veranda of the cafe.
Photos of the restaurant "Grably" from the sites: www.afisha.ru, gr.spvclub.com, www.2do2go.ru
You can see the prices for yourself in the photo below. Very democratic. The only thing that is not very convenient in the restaurant is the self-service system. Personally, it was not convenient for me to carry a heavy tray with a bag and a camera. It’s difficult because you definitely can’t get by with a cup of coffee. I didn't get by.
The choice of dishes is kind of crazy. I don't remember anything like this recently. I took: marinated hake, beetroot soup, potatoes with mushrooms, stewed eggplants, Truffle cake, cranberry juice. The most expensive cake turned out - 165 rubles. But I couldn't resist. I paid about 500 rubles for everything. If it weren’t for my passion for sweets, my full lunch would have cost me a little over 300 rubles. Communism!
Menu of the restaurant "Grabli"
At this point, I will briefly interrupt the story about our international meeting of blogging friends on Memorial Day, April 18, 2013.