MAR 31, 19 .. IRKUTSK RUSSIAN SIBERIA .. ANOTHER GRAND DAY .. 130 KVARTAL
Patti and I had one very great, and one very grand day today, Sunday, the 31st of March.
During the four months that I was alone on this trip (from October the 16th, 2018, when I flew South from Anchorage, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, until we met-up-in Seoul, South Korea on February the 11th, 2019) I was busily accumulating a ‘zillion memories of things that I was seeing and doing that I wanted to share with Patti ‘some day’.
It has taken the two of us (Patti arrived here in Irkutsk on Friday the 22nd of February) just over five full weeks to experience the one most special thing / activity here in Irkutsk that I have been wanting to share with Patti.
Allows us to present to you :
THE 130th QUARTER OF IRKUTSK
130 KVARTAL
The 130th Quarter is a mega-development consisting of restaurants, pubs, museums, and an enormous shopping mall.
Карта 130-го квартала (The map of 130th quarter)
The Shopping Mall within The 130th Quarter (130 KVARTAL) simply calls itself :
МОДНЫЫЙ КВАРТАΛ (FASHION QUARTER)
We begin our walk into The 130th Quarter (130-го квартала) with a hello to BABR (БАБР). BABR is the symbol of Irkutsk, Russia. BABR is a mythological monster.
Let’s all have a little fun here. Check out the below link to learn about BABR :
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-irkutsk-babr-irkutsk-russia
Having said hello to Babr we’ll begin our walk into The 130th Quarter (130-го квартала).
First up is HARAT’S (IRISH) PUB.
Past Harat’s Pub and on we stroll.
You can see by looking in the distance in the below photo that it is quite a walk
There is much to see and to do in The 130th Quarter. Below was our favorite of the street musicians. They touched our hearts.
Shashlykoff is one of my favorite restaurants with properties in many Siberian Cities. I’ve enjoyed meals with them in Kraknoyarsk and Novosibirsk and with Patti in Yakutsk. Next on my list is the one below here in Irkutsk.
The Russian word for Restaurant is spelled РЕСТОРАН (it sounds out as Restoran). БАР means BAR.
As many times as I’ve walked through The 130th Quarter, it took Patti to spy the below Pigeon Hotel.
We also love Irkusk and The 130th Quarter. In the background below is the Shopping Mall known as THE FASHION QUARTER (МОДНЫЫЙ КВАРТАΛ).
Take a deep breath, now hold it ..
Last November the 1st or 2nd, 2018, the first time that I saw what you are all about to see, I WAS STUNNED.
Keep in mind that we are deep in the heart of Russian Siberia.
Now, after five some months here, after visiting four other major cities in Russian Siberia (Kyuzyl, Abakan, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibisk) I am no longer able to accurately remember just what I was expecting Russian Siberia to look like as I stepped down in Irkutsk on Monday the 29th of October 2018.
I was NOT expecting to see anything like what you see below.
Final Disclaimer : What you are about to see may, just possibly, represent 20% of what is housed in the Fashion Quarter Shopping Mall.
THE FASHION QUARTER (МОДНЫЫЙ КВАРТАΛ).
“What’s that you ask ‘Zilla?”
“Don’t they have any stores? Just a water fountain?”
“Ah-h-h yes ‘Zilla. Yes indeed there are a few stores in this mega-mall ‘Zilla!”
“Cap?”
“Yes My Dear Patti?”
“I’m hungry and need to rest.”
“What’s that ‘Zilla? Are there any places to eat in here?”
“Shussssh now Gullible!”
KFC
BURGER KING
BASKIN ROBBINS
By the time Patti and I got home to our wonderful apartment here in Irkutsk, the two of us were exhausted. I did not mention above but we also did a little grocery shopping while we were in the mall.
Getting from our streetcar / tram stop to The 130th Quarter was, in and of itself, a bit of a hike. Luckily there is an absolute plethora of places for visitors to sit and relax.
Hoping you liked our visit as much as we did.
Smiles from Cap and Hugs from Patti
- MAR 30, 19 .. HAVE ANY OF YOU BEEN TO KANGALASSY RUSSIAN SIBERIA?
- APR 1, 19 .. (April Fool) TODAY’S WORD FROM RUSSIA : БАЛЬЗАМ
4 thoughts on “MAR 31, 19 .. IRKUTSK RUSSIAN SIBERIA .. ANOTHER GRAND DAY .. 130 KVARTAL”
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Monday, April 1, 2019 – 2:00 pm
Hi Cap,
A great tour of the Mall! I was a little surprised to see such a great Mall in Siberia – I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but since I haven’t traveled to Siberia I really had no idea that some of our most interesting, restaurants that we have are spread though out Siberia! Super nifty! Great stories, pictures! I also thought I might see one of your photo-shoots of your meals that you are having – I missed one on this visit! I always look forward to the great spread you have on dinners, meals, etc, etc! Have fun – and greetings to Patti which I am sure you two are having the fun of your lives! Keep up the fun, travel and meals!
zilla
‘Zilla I was not a little surprised when I first saw this Mall. No!! I was SHOCKED. I was FLABBERGASTED. I was AMAZED. I was STUNNED. I had absolutely no idea whatsoever that such a magnificent Mall would greet me!! To be honest nothing we have can shame or even top what I am seeing here after five months. You name it and they seem to have it plus plus plus. Amazing. In this Post I showed what we ate. A small KFC Salad. Two Burger King Whoppers. And two scoops of Baskin Robbins ice cream. I am going to do a restaurant meal on blogspot SOON just for you so be looking for it. We are indeed having such fun. Smiles from me and Hugs from Patti.
That’s quite the shopping mall. But, like the famous GUM store in Moscow, I suspect the average Russian citizen cannot afford to shop in the specialty stores. Pretty fancy, but don’t tell me that Patti ate a hamburger. She didn’t, did she?
NO ! NO ! NO ! Rest assured that Patti did NOT even ‘sniff’ the hamburger at Burger King !
As to the average citizen here in Russia, as far as I can see, all of them seem to be far ABOVE AVERAGE as to spending ability. Oh I’m sure many are not out shopping at 130 KVARTAL but still, those at 130 KVARTAL and other fine stores, seem to be well patronized. As always, thanks so much for following along with us. Cap and Patti.