My week in Moscow

It is almost exactly a month now since I got back from Moscow. It took me a while to write this post because I had too many impressions and thoughts about my one week trip that I did not know where to even begin to summarise all my thoughts about that trip. And I didn't have time to sort though my thoughts. I still don't know how to fit everything I have to say onto one post, but at least I know exactly where to start: counting my blessings.

I know I have a lot to be thankful for. On the whole, things have always worked out for me. Not always how I thought I wanted it to and certainly not how I planned, but in the end everything has its place. So I thank God for the gifts I have: the opportunities which come my way, the ability to make the most out of them, the values with guide me, and the passion and courage which drive me. All of which, have not only defined how I make my way through the world, but also the relationships I make and cultivate. These blessing struck home all the more as I emerged from the Belarussky metro station and walked the short distance across to the Belarussky train station. The fact that I found myself in that spot in the world, says a lot about where I was in life. How far I have come from my Muar and Gua Musang days indeed. 

For the fact that I made it, relatively independently through Moscow and especially through the maze that is the Moscow Metro - which was definitely one of the highlights of my week, I thank a carefully studied map, friends, a penchant for languages, friends, helpful colleagues, friends, and strangers who had no reason to help me other than out common friends. Thank God that these people exist! - I somehow had not just one, but two people whom I didn't (really) know and did not know me, who were willing to meet me, spend their time with me and show me around a bit of their city. And so it was that I had the best of both worlds. I got to explore Moscow "independently" without being in a pack of some tour group, all the while still having a local who know how to navigate the city to teach us to find out way. I saw so much thanks for these lovely ladies. It made a big difference and gave me the added courage to explore on my own afterwards. A colleague drew out on a map a route which I could follow from one Metro station to another, which would take me along a few nice streets and past some interesting sights. 

I said before the trip, that I wanted to judge Moscow for what I experience and not what I know, or think I know, about it and Russia. I make no judgement nor excuse. About anything. I realise of course there is a lot of judgement to be made, and some excuses that should not be made. But I also realise that I am nowhere near well informed enough about any of it, to begin to comment. So my judgement here is based solely on what happened to me, what I saw and what I experienced.

In the week that I was there, I spent most of my time at work. In the end I had one evening during the week and the weekend for more touristy pursuits. During that weekend, I walked 42 km, rode the Metro for at least an hour, and took one of those City Sightseeing boat tours, and wrangled myself into a 40 minute free ride on the City Sightseeing Bus as well (which was a relief in the heat of the afternoon). 

For the sake of brevity, which I am not known for, I will say this: I liked Moscow and I look forward to an opportunity to go again.

Moscow is fascinating. There is no other word. A contradiction of every kind. The old, and the new. The minimalistic and functional, and the opulent and extravagant. The cheap and the unaffordable. Grandeur beyond description, and disregard and neglect. Beautiful and green, and clean. Moscow is fascinating, and I was fascinated.

No caption needed

What you see is what you compare to 

I suppose with everything else, how you view something has a lot to do with your worldview and expectations. Where I am from and where I live are already at such extremes that there is much room for almost anywhere else to fall in between. 

For instance, we were warned about the traffic - driving is chaotic, crossing the road is (ahem) Russian roulette. And yeah, compared to most Northern European countries, that so certainly true. But if you've been been on roundabouts in Italy, Cambodia, India, or any road for that matter. Middle East, South America (from what I have read), Malaysia, Indonesia... then you'd realise that it's not a big deal. 

The number of dolled-up girls on unimaginable high heels with clearly some work done (the girls, not the heels) was noticeably more than what is common in places where I find myself these days. But... I'd say Moscow is not the only big city in the world where you'd find people who's meet the same profile. 

A lot of the women were very well dressed. In particular, a lot of women wore very nice dresses. Although I suspect that part of that at least has to do with the fact that Moscow is a capital city, and also a large rather metropolitan city. People just tend to take more care, don't they? Not that the women were universally dressed to impress. Perhaps they were, but many of the dresses were visibly comfortable and functional, and many of the women has flats or tennis shoes with their dresses. So it was not all about looks. 

A Happy belly

One of the biggest surprises for me of the trip was the food. Whether representative of the standard of food in Moscow or whether we just happened to stumble upon the good stuff, but food in Moscow impressed me. From staple Russian meals at the office canteen to Georgian stews, from Uzbek spicy noodles to fad black bread burgers, and of course beef stroganoff,* I did not have a single meal I did not thoroughly enjoy.

Vatroshka - I am told this was a "modern" savoury
take on a traditional dessert type snack.
Whatever the case, it was yummy!

I was told that because of the post-Crimea sanctions, agriculture and farming in Russia has developed dramatically. And perhaps it is growing and new, mass production has not caught up. So food is more naturally produced and taste better. The better the raw ingredients, the better the finished product. Hmm... I do not know how to verify this information. But whatever the reason may be, I enjoyed the food there much more than I expected. And it was not all fancy. Buckwheat and soup was my new favourite thing!

Real books!! 

I always thought that the English read a lot, and I quite convince they do. But I saw more people with their noses buried in a honest to goodness book on the Metro is Moscow than I have the last couple of times in London. So many barely paused to even looked up from the pages to set off the train to the platform. What a pleasant surprise it was indeed!

On the weekend I arrived and ran in the park, there were so many people lying on the grass or parked on a bench, lost in a book. 

Totally normal lives

That day when I ran in the park, was the day I arrived in Moscow and that imprinted in my mind that Moscow really is just another place in the world. History and politics aside, the country and city is just filled with perfectly ordinary people just trying to go about their perfectly ordinary lives. Walking home with bags of shopping, walking in the park with their children, not being able to get that damn parking boon to react even though they have slotted in the ticket correctly, teenagers talking loudly because they have just discovered themselves and their independence and are therefore so much cooler than the "kids" and all the "old people". Trying to get to work on time, trying to make it home before the rain. 

Them unfriendly Russians and them unwelcome foreigners...not

After all the warnings about tourists being preyed on etc. it's easy to think that Russia or Moscow is not open to foreigners. I'd read some warnings, and even heard from locals, that there is some racial discrimination, especially against people with dark(-er) skin and Asian features. It has to do with the former Soviet countries in Asia, I think, but I really do not know enough to elaborate. All I know is, I did not experience any discrimination during my short stay there. Not at any time did I feel threatened or concerned. Even when I ventured off the beaten tourist track slightly. On the contrary I met a lot of very helpful and friendly strangers. It might not seem like a big deal to the rest of the chivalrous world, but having people open doors for me and help carry my bag up stairs 

At Gogol's house, there was very little information in English. There was a lady in one of the rooms who was very friendly and informative and kept up a steady narrative about what was going on. Not much help to me as it was all in Russian. Two locals who were there heard me tell her repeatedly in English that I did not speak Russian. They did not speak much English themselves, but they translated what she said on their phones for me. The attendant at Tolstoy's Moscow estate (yes, I spent a bit of my time visiting the homes of Russian writers) realised I didn't speak any Russian when I went it, and it seemed like she had a sentence in English ready so she could speak to me when I came back out again! So sweet! I really enjoyed both visits to Gogol & Tolstoy's residences. It made me want to rush off and pick up Anna Karenina again. But thankfully all the books being sold at the reception at both locations were only in Russia. I really do not need more books.

There were a lot of Chinese tourists in Moscow. I saw groups of them already at the airport when I landed. Actually, there was a group of them on my flight from Copenhagen. What really surprised me though, was that inconsideration of the Chinese, there were signs in Chinese! The information about baggage claim was presented first in Russian, followed by Chinese and only after that, in English. I was told by the driver who picked me up from the airport, that timetables at some train (or Metro?) stations were also in Chinese. "Is that a good thing?" I asked. He said, "why not? It's good for the city!"

Big Brother is Watching
Yeah, big brother was definitely watching. There were cameras everywhere. Not even the slightly more subtle-but-everyone-knows-it's-a-camera-black-blob variety. Everywhere! After a while you stop noticing them. Well, you notice them less.

There was a metal detector at every Metro station, and a scanner for bags. So there were security personnel at every station. At most stations in the center, there were also a large number of Metro police. When they were there, I did not see a group of less than four. And there were usually two or three groups, if there were any.

There were a lot of police patrols on the road too. Not so much on foot in the streets, I don't think. But in police cars, cruising slowly and keeping an eye on what is going on. On one occasion in particular, they made me a bit nervous because I could feel them staring at me and deciding if they thought I was suspicious or not. They decided not - phew! In a way though, depending on whether you thought the police were your friends or enemy, it was sort of reassuring having the police so blatantly present. At least petty crime was unlikely to occur, was how I looked at it.

So much to do, so little time 

I ended up doing only a fraction of what I had hoped. I was really keen to go into the Kremlin, especially to see the church where the Tsars were married, and the royal jewelry and gifts. I wanted to go into St Basil's church. And the Pushkin museum. I really wanted to visit Dostoevsky's home. To do all that I wanted, I would have had to stay a few more days.

I did have a few moments of concern, most of them when I was out running but that is a story for another day. Despite the concerns I did have, I would go to Moscow again. Definitely.

*Question: Is beef stroganoff really Russian?? According to Wikipedia, it is. According to the Russians I asked too. But why is it called beef then? 'Beef', isn't a Russian word, is it?