On my family's second day in Russia, we started off early with a visit to the Novodevichy Cemetery, the final resting place for many of Russia's political, cultural, and literary elite. Russian cemeteries differ substantially from American ones: Whereas American cemeteries are austere, reserved, park-like places, Russian cemeteries are jam-packed with heavily decorated--some might say gaudy--gravestones and every sort of ornamentation. 

The bell tower of Novodevichy Convent

Grave of Boris Yeltsin 

Some dead general 

The Russian aesthetic definitely goes for more decoration whenever possible 

Russian cemeteries are intense 

Grave of Anton Chekhov 

Walls of the convent

These walls have been around for a while