MOSCOW WALKS: From RED SQUARE to upper PETROVKA

This is the second part of my long and meandering hike through Moscow. While part one was all about capital’s grandest landmarks basking in the rays of a setting sun, part two is straight-up Christmas nostalgia. I loitered around GUM shopping arcade, walked the historic Nikolskaya Street, went up to Lubyanka Square and its massive Children’s World emporium, then past the Bolshoy Theater and back to my neighborhood at the top of Petrovka Street. Nighttime was setting in, and all the holiday lights began to sparkle. Many stores and public places kept their decorations around well through February, for “good mood” purposes. Totally works, doesn’t it?