Moscow

Yet another “professional” appointment and... yet another chance to escape the usual daily grind by setting off for a place so far unknown to me: Russia. Destination Moscow, certainly only a small slice of an incredibly vast and varied territory, but still a good stop to begin with. A city in incredible expansion, both architectural and economic, the political, commercial and financial heart of a nation that has gone through some very dark moments, not yet entirely overcome..., and that now has a mad desire to relaunch itself towards that Western world it saw only on TV for too long. Social contradictions are the order of the day and, precisely for this reason, alongside a human tide of ordinary people trying to climb the social ladder towards an ever more dignified life, you find the most useless luxuries, the most unbridled excesses, the most over-the-top mondanity.

Millions of people moving by underground (which is, incidentally, very convenient and architecturally extraordinary) to reach the most distant corners of the metropolis. Factories, offices, schools, universities... this is the daily life of the average Muscovite; above ground, on the other hand, within the great circular ring that marks the “centre” of the city, limousines, tinted windows, evening dress, elegant women, casinos, boutiques, luxury restaurants, neon signs, security,....excesses, splendours.... Access to Russia, and especially to Moscow, is not entirely easy, in a way, in every sense. First of all you need a visa, tourist or business, easily obtained at the embassy but quite expensive. For an enthusiast like me for stamps and visas in the passport, this is nothing but another little piece of my modest collection.

On arrival at one of the many Moscow airports, getting through Customs control is nothing short of depressing; the slowness of the staff is truly disheartening. Arriving late at night, I still had about an hour of taxi before reaching my hotel, and the next morning the trade fair began... I wanted nothing more than to wait an hour in a queue to get a stamp... On leaving, the mad bargaining for the taxi begins; they ask for the most incredible figures, an endless back-and-forth to get a “fair” price, and finally I move off towards the hotel. And here's the real sore point, especially for the wallet... In the area next to the centre, requests for a room range from 200 to 500 euros a night. Even more on certain occasions!! It's pure madness!! You can save by staying on the outskirts but then, during the day, you'd need a helicopter to reach any area.

The traffic is mind-boggling and you crawl along the streets... especially in the long, cold winter. I found a good compromise by staying at the Hotel Belgrad, a stone's throw from Arbat Road and about 2/3 km from the Kremlin and Red Square. A week in Moscow almost entirely dedicated to work leaves you little from a tourist point of view; I devoted the late afternoons to exploring the surrounding areas, setting off each time in different directions. In the evening I had the taxi take me to the places of greatest interest so I could admire the “by Night” version, and I would have devoted Saturday and Sunday to getting around as much as I was allowed. Moscow doesn't contain so many beauties after all, but those symbols that made it famous in the world are nothing short of enchanting.

So there isn't that much to see, but the incredible extent of the city means it takes an eternity to reach any place of interest. Getting around on foot, as I often do, turned out to be a nothing-short-of-ambitious undertaking!! Often and willingly I had to surrender to the call of the taxis because you really... never get there!! Among Moscow's symbols, incidentally, are... Stalin's skyscrapers. Constructions as imposing as they are hideous, scattered all over the city and housing universities, offices, hotels and government bodies. They look very much alike, creating total confusion in the visitor and giving false points of reference. WHAT A WONDER!!!! The Kremlin and its red walls, Red Square, St Basil's Cathedral. These are three unmissable attractions, all gathered in the heart of the city.

I stood open-mouthed at their imposing scale, their elegance and the bright, golden colours of their decorations. The GUM department store, Lenin's mausoleum and the State Historical Museum provide a worthy setting. Moscow isn't only this; there's the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the commercial New and Old Arbat Road, Tverskaya Road, the statue of Peter the Great and of Lenin in the square of the same name, the chocolate factory along the banks of the Moskva river, the Orthodox monasteries. And again, fashionable clubs and ethnic restaurants of the former Soviet republics (I tried the Uzbek one... better a good pizza...). To finish with what for me was a truly extraordinary experience, unfortunately late in coming, that will let me be quicker and more independent in getting around on future occasions. The Metro!!! What's the big deal...

have you never taken a metro??? someone might ask me... But of course I have, and by now at almost every latitude, but... this isn't just any metro. About 300 km of underground tunnels branch out like a dense web, and hundreds of stops allow you to reach almost every corner of the city. The interior architecture is truly impeccable and it feels like moving through a travelling museum. Some stations are real jewels, with frescoes, paintings, enormous chandeliers and depictions of Communist Russia. This is also a piece of history. So what would the problem be? I don't know Russian!! Every sign, poster, direction and map is strictly in Cyrillic. Before plunging into that incredible swarm of people I thought about it several times, saying “I'll never get out of there”... in the end I really regretted not having done it sooner.

So, having avoided the metro until the last moment, I spent two and a half hours underground, reaching the most beautiful and significant stations. Feeling in those moments part of the real life of so many Muscovites, I managed to get back to the hotel with a good feeling... I'd made it!! Having got past what for me was a little test, it was time to go home. After a week of blue sky, the clouds were treating me to a historic snowfall. Snow so thick and dry that you could make snowballs without having to bend down, and... a few hours before departure, back in a taxi to steal the last shots of a snow-covered Moscow! After the first days with a clear blue spring sky and a pleasant temperature, now I found myself wrapped in a winter setting. So, as I left, I thought that in such a short time I really hadn't missed out on anything!!!