We just arrived in Moscow after a pleasant and restorative, if uneventful, 27hrs in Vladimir. Vladimir's Assumption Cathedral was delightful, but its Rublev frescoes, the initial allure when planning the trip, proved to be a bit underwhelming. We enjoyed ourselves nevertheless and were happy to have a hotel after the relatively sleepless night on the train from Novgorod to Moscow.

We've thus far had some difficulties procuring basic amenities in stores (although Moscow gives us reason to believe that things will be better here). Grocery stores are few and far between and kiosks and corner stores sell little more than packaged sugar. The two most available consumer commodities here are cigarettes and alcohol. And indeed, everyone smokes and drinks. At a Moscow train station the other day a very large percentage of the people there were drinking at 6:30am. If ever there were a disincentive to drink or smoke it is this -- an exposure to its deleterious social and personal effects as seen here, in Russia, where the average life expectancy of a man is 59 yrs. The public sector and social welfare programs are clearly in a miserable condition having failed to adjust to, or perhaps being a result of, the inauguration of market reforms and private ownership.