A Trip to Moscow

The Kremlin

I had the pleasure to visit Moscow last week. Called by some "a country in the country", the city of Moscow is definitely impressive. Moscow cannot be compared to any other European city at least not to those I have been to. Being the only member of my immediate and extended family, not having visited the city, I grew up with the stories of its beauty and I have to stay what I saw surpassed all my expectations.

Not pretending to share an expert opinion, I'd say one can see pre-Soviet (all historical buildings preserved or restored after Soviet times), Soviet (Stalin's skyscrapers as well as the neighbourhoods of panel apartment blocks so typical for that time) and attempts at post-Soviet architecture (modern buildings built after the 90s) and this all contributes to the typical atmosphere of Moscow. We shall not forget the citizens of Moscow, the Muscovite, proud and calm in their own way, friendly and open to foreigners, having a strong immune against alcohol... I have to say the Russian stereotype built by shallow American movies is plain wrong... Of course, I cannot generalize, but I met quite a few intelligent and very interesting people with whom you can talk about travel, globalization, politics, etc... who gave me some very useful tips to get everything from my one week stay in Moscow. Contrary to my expectations based mainly on different experiences with Russians I met in the US and EU, the Russian Russians are very hospitable and they go to great lengths to make you feel at home. Despite that I had the opportunity to have dinner with different Russian families, there were many similarities in the way I was treated as a guest. First, the tables were always full with all delicacies available in the house, as expected there was always a bottle of vodka soon to be emptied presented on the table, however, my Russian hosts will  drink a lot but never go overboard. Each sip of vodka is preceded by a toast, unlike in the west, toasts in Russia are actually a few long sentences and they go before each sip which can be a bit boring at times.It's amazing what quantities of vodka the Russians can handle and still appear  relatively sober. I saw many bottles getting empty in no time but I didn't see any drunken Russians. As for Russian cuisine, it's good, at least what I tasted and I have to say the fish dishes are especially tasty. Being a chocolate lover, I especially liked the typical Russian chocolates which brought memories from my childhood when similar chocolates could be found in shops in Bulgaria. Another thing worth mentioning is that gentlemen like Russian men I have seen nowhere else in the world. I still remember that very old man who couldn't say a word in English, who escorted me to Leninska Metrostation despite that it was not on his way. Also the many strangers I met opening doors and making space for you in the public transport something, I am not used to  and since I wasn't used to, I didn't know how to appreciate. To sum up, to get a feeling for the Russian mentality, you really have to at least understand Russian and not to suffer from anti-Soviet prejudice. English is still not a popular language in this part of the world. 

Now, let's go back to my sight-seeing tour: The churches of Moscow or shall I say Moscow, the heart of the Orthodox Church and culture to tease my neighbours from Greece... They say Moscow was a city once dominated by churches... but this still rings true. There are 9 churches behind the walls of the Kremlin. They can tell the story of its different occupants, among which Ivan the Terrible and Lenin. However, the most impressive churches are outside the Kremlin. A few blocks from it, on the banks of the Moscow river, lies "Christ the Saviour", is the highest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world. The cathedral was started during the time of Alexander I and was finished by his brother Nicola II and the design of the St. Sofia Cathedral in Istanbul was used as a model. During Stalin's times the Cathedral was demolished and a swimming pool was built on its place. They say that Stalin wanted to make a monument in honour of Lenin but the land was too weak to support such a statue that he had to give up this idea and instead a swimming pool was built. The cathedral was rebuilt in the 90s and it resembles the old cathedral in every way. Another interesting cathedral is St. Basil's Cathedral on the red square, well-known for its colours and unusual shape of the domes, this is the church with colourful domes which is presented on most postcards from Russia. It has no analogue in Eastern Orthodox architecture.

St. Basil's Cathedral

A must-do in Moscow is a walk in the old part of the city: the Arbat Street is a shopping street, which is full of small boutiques, book stores, restaurants, overpriced cafes, and it was once a home for Russian bohemians. The bohemian spirit is still alive: the many street painters, musicians, street artists, foreigners and guests of the city create a unique Arbat-like atmosphere. The houses architecture represents the Russian interpretation of the Art Nuveau which was popular in Europe at the turn of 20th century. The houses of many notable Russians among which Pushkin are in the Arbat area. One of the so-called Stalin skyscrapers, a high cathedral-like building which houses the Ministry of Defence is located on Arabatskaya Square. A walk down the Old Arbat and a drink in one of the bars in the area is the perfect finish of an exhausting day of sight-seeing. The new Arbat is a an extension of the old Arbat, it's a big avenue, part of Stalin's master plan for Moscow. Cinemas, hotels, office buildings as well as high grey apartment buildings can be seen its sides, a very *varied* architecture and very contrasting to the aristocratic Old Arbat.

There are also many other interesting spots: the red square, the theatres, the expensive designer outlets with special collections for Moscow, the parks, the suburbs, the area outside the city outskirts called "Podmoskovie"... Moscow by night is a completely different city, a fairytale from the past....

Москва, я уже скучаю по тебе.