"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." St. Augustine
Russia has a
distinct character, very original and varied. You have to see it to believe. It
is neither European nor Asian. It is Russian. European Russia makes it the
biggest country in Europe and the Asian part makes it the largest in Asia. The
nation is mysteriously enormous, covering almost 11%of the land mass with 11 time
zones, 25 official languages and more than 110 unofficial ones.
We decided
to fly into Sheremetyevo last March with apprehensions of what to expect of a
country which Churchill described as a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an
enigma”. We were taken in for a surprise at what we found –the people, the
terrain and cuisine were fascinating .We flew Aeroflot where the crew was polite,
professional and pretty. It’s a great airline for the price you pay.
March is a
good month to visit Moscow. Not very cold, no rains either and fewer ant-like
tourist groups. Consequently queues are shorter at the visitor’s counters,
buses are less crowded but metros are not. You might miss out on the street food
because the food stalls were few and far between. Trees are bare but beautiful
and flowers are just about coming out of their hibernation.
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| Bare and beautiful |
The
gentleman from Angel Taxi Agency was on the spot at the dot of time as we came
out of the airport foyer. Most amiable, we handed him the address of our hotel
neatly written in Russia and he very politely ushered us into the car. It was a
strange situation where he understood English but couldn’t speak and we could
read the Russian script, Cyrillic, but couldn’t speak except for a smattering
of phrases with a strange accent which no Russian could understand. The day was
cloudy and a little dreary but, Yuri,
our chauffer, made it the most delightful trip by pointing out landmarks
and cracking jokes which he only understood but we laughed along. The grandeur
of the baroque buildings left by the Tsarist regimes stood side by side with
the Soviet-era blocks, interspersed by malls and a few high-rise buildings. Traffic,
like every capital in the world was nothing to write about and you do notice a
few jumping lines and taking a turn when you shouldn’t. If you want to see
sky-scrappers and all the modern trappings that go with them, go to New Moscow.
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| Kremlin |
Yuri drove
us into Nastasyinsky Perulok Street in Tverskoy to our hotel Pushkin. The
proximity of the hotel to three metro stations, Trevaskaya, Chekovskaya and
Pushkinskaya made it very convenient to for us to reach all corners of Moscow.
The Red square and the Kremlin were within walking distance. We were well
received by two pretty girls who spoke English and didn’t waste time with inane
niceties. Our room was small but convenient, clean and modern. Hot water and
ice was available just across the room. The dining space was artistically done
up, keeping the writer Pushkin, in mind. The complimentary breakfast was well
laid out. The minus point of the hotel was the shower –cubicle which was tiny
and would well make it difficult for a fat man to manoeuvre. But would I stay
here again? Definitely.
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| Chicken Kiev at Hotel Pushkin |
Armed with a
few Russian phrases like”Da”,”Nyet” “Spa-see-ba” we began our march into the
land of Lenin, Stalin and Putin . Russians have been storied and parodied as
unsmiling, stern-lipped vodka-drinkers but they turned out to be friendly and
helpful. Nothing appeared intimidating; there was no cold-sweat seeing the
Lubyanka building, HQ of the erstwhile KGB now known as FSB. There are more
channels on TV than the propaganda channel. You are not under surveillance as
we were made to believe. The only time I did feel uneasy was when burly
Russians were trying to sell us tickets outside the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, at
an astronomical price. With a burgeoning middle-class with growing purchasing and
a new generation of ambitious youngsters who are keen to learn, Russia has come
out of the Cold. And this I’m talking
about is urban Russia (St, Petersburg and Moscow) not the rural areas. Perhaps
it would be different.
More of Russia in my next blog. Yes , I could
go on ……
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| St.Petersburg ....my travelling companion ,Bee |
"If you don't know how great this country is, I know someone who does; Russia."Robert Frost
Note: We do not go through any travel agent . All bookings are through the net.......thats the marvel of the Virtual world........
