Moscow

The Japanese car and the English four reach Moscow where they sample the (not so) delightful Russian cuisine, marvel at the astounding architecture, not least the Kremlin, manage to catch the VE day celebrations together with half of the former USSR's military and thoroughly enjoyed the increase in Ladas.


Steve Dew-Jones:

Ah, that’s better, Moskva! Wonderful to be here, although it is rather cold… and expensive! Nevertheless, we are determined to enjoy ourselves now that we are here, and have plans to visit the Russian equivalent of the Houses of Parliament (The Kremlin) on the day when a new Prime Minister may or may not be waltzing into 10 Downing Street.

Food standards have dropped noticeably – so much so that we went for Turkish cuisine at lunchtime, and shelled out fifty quid for the privilege! This morning we made the mistake of going for the generic Russian “pastries” option for breakfast and neither one of us made more than a mouthful of headway before coughing up the remnants and binning the rest. Said “pastries” tasted only of grease-soaked bread, and we think that there was some kind of meat substance involved, but we’d rather not think too much about which kind of animal(s) may have been present.

I’m pleased to say that we haven’t been stopped by the Russian police yet. The natives seem to have put together this clever technique, whereby drivers will flash their lights at one another to warn of approaching police traps, whereupon vehicles will slow down and then speed up again as soon as the danger has passed. This, plus the wonderful increase in Ladas (the archetypal Russian car, consisting of little more than an engine and a metal frame), has meant that our Russian driving experiences so far have been very enjoyable.


Sophie Ibbotson:

Moscow is incredible. As we approached the city and passed through the suburbs in the mid afternoon traffic, everything was far more impressive than I had expected. I’m used to Soviet cities being, well, Soviet: mile after mile of fading grey breeze block apartment blocks, unkempt pavements, wasteland and concrete statues to the nation, the soldier, and the working man. Wrapped closely around the river that sweeps through the city, Moscow undoubtedly has these elements but fortunately, at least for passersby, they’re fairly well hidden from view.

Our hostel was tucked behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an imposing building that stretches many times higher than the surrounding structures. Its Empire State-like form seems almost to touch the sky, and it draws the eye from every direction. Behind it is Arbat, a wide pedestrian street that is crowded at all hours of the day and night with buskers, street artists and revelers. If you want your portrait done, hear Moscow’s latest jazz talents, buy stacking Russian dolls painted to look like Obama, or simply drink your usual macchiato-latte-flat-coffee-thing with extra froth in Starbucks, this is the place to come.

Moscow is synonymous with the Kremlin, the capital’s political and religious heart. This vast walled and complex is home not only to Russia’s corridors of power but also to three cathedrals, two churches, secret gardens, and a seemingly infinite number of towers. For those of you in the ‘bigger is better’ camp, the Kremlin also has a 40 ton cannon that is 5.34m long, and a 200 ton bell that is 6.14m tall and 6.6m in diameter. The majority of sites here date from the 16th and 17th centuries when the Tsars were at the height of their political and creative power. The workmanship in the golden domes, elaborate frescoes in muted colours, and polished stone floors is truly a sight to behold.

We shared our visit to the Kremlin with a thousand or so troops from around the former USSR. Soldiers on official visits from Poland, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan were playing at being tourists for a few hours and, despite the formality of their uniforms, were having a delightfully relaxed time. We were asked to pose alongside them for photos in the carefully manicured tulip gardens and in front of the Archangel Cathedral. In my jeans and t-shirt I felt decidedly under-dressed!

The troops were in town to participate in celebrations for the 65th anniversary of VE Day. I hadn’t previously realized what an important event it would be for the Russians, but the entirety of Moscow seemed to be in a flurry of activity as last minute preparations took place. The Moscow Times boasted how many hundred tanks, planes and intercontinental ballistic missiles would be involved in the parades, and also announced proudly the number of allied troops coming to Moscow to mark the occasion. Everywhere we went we saw pensioners with medals pinned to their chests, and people carrying red flowers for remembrance.

Security was tight and everything had to look perfect. It did.