I recently made a trip into Russia; Moscow and St. Petersburg. At the time I was living in Hannover Germany although now I have returned to the US. This is to record and inform others of my experiences in Russia and hopefully to debunk some of the fears and apprehensions that some might have when contemplating a journey into the heart of the "Evil Empire" of the FSU. There is a lot of urban legend, fear and unnecessary concerns that many in the west have when thinking of such a trip. Many of the security and safety concerns that westerners have are not warranted by the facts of the situation at least in my own limited experience. Russia is very different to the west, it is a different world and there are a lot of problems associated with life in the FSU (as far as I can see) but there are no real impediments to visiting.

I saw many of the major sites in Moscow and St. Petersburg but will not spend much time here describing what to see. There is more to see and do in this area than you can possibly have time for. Suffice it to say for now that the kremlins, Churches, museums, architecture, etc. etc. is all magnificent and far more beautiful than this humble scribe can ever hope to describe. It is all described in voluminous travel and historical literature. I had 10 days in Russia and if I had a 100 perhaps then I could start to scratch the surface of what there is although perhaps a lifetime would not be enough, there is simply to much. My intent here in this report is to describe some of the cultural and social aspects of life there and as I said before to allay some of the safety concerns that folks have. I will mention this again at the end but for those who don't want to read that far and want help to arrange a visit to Moscow and St.Petersburg.

Day 1

Travel day. First part is Aeroflot from Hamburg to Moscow. Yes, Aeroflot. I wanted to see for myself directly if the Russian airline was as "exciting" as their reputation. The flight was uneventful, I was favorably impressed. The plane was clean, the service was good. Nothing special to report about Aeroflot really; no problem whatsoever. It was clearly a Russian airplane as markings were in russian and the crew spoke german with a Russian accent. Most of the passengers were Russian also. The guy sitting next to me was an engineer going home to visit and was quite surprised to find himself setting next to an "Amerikanski" Had a pleasant conversation with him and he gave me some tips on how to survive in Moscow. He expressed concern to me about an unescorted American wandering the streets of Moscow and actually started to get me worried a bit as to what exactly I was getting myself into here. He seemed ok and helpful but for some reason he drew a bit of attention from the customs people at the baggage claim area in Moscow and I distanced myself from him as I wanted nothing to do with these folks.

Arrival in Moscow and going through customs into the country itself was no problem. They didn't even look at the customs/currency forms that I dutifully filled out. So I clear customs and then enter the country. Where is the person that is supposed to be meeting me here? I enter a different world, there is the crowd of taxi drivers that I heard of, try to stay away from them, try to find the person that is supposed to be meeting me without wandering to far away. The plane is a bit late and it is about an hour after scheduled arrival that I finally leave the customs area but surely my escort knows this.

I wait in the general area for at least another hour, nobody. Here I am lost in a strange world, not knowing the language or where exactly I am going, bad omen. I try not to draw attention, try not to look like an ignorant, lost, American tourist, all the stories I heard of Russia, Moscow, the Taxi drivers, etc. are going through my mind; what to do? Darkness is coming on in a few hours, I want to be "somewhere" by then. I'm gonna have to trust somebody. There's the taxi driver that's been shadowing me, he seems a little less "rough" than some of the others and he speaks a bit of English.

I show him the address of my host in Moscow, I am staying with an older widowed schoolteacher and I have her name and address thankfully, driver says no problem (standard answer, he actually doesn't know where it is and has to spend a few minutes looking at a map when we finally get to the car). Than we negotiate the price of the taxi and write it down so no misunderstanding. Strange that it is in cash US$, no problem I brought plenty of US currency with me (I hope I still have it by the time we get where we're going ) So, off we go. This guy is one of the unofficial taxi drivers using his personal car to make money on the side. The fare ($50) from the airport into town is about a months pay to the average Russian. I think on a subsequent visit that I could get from the airport to downtown Moscow for less than $5 maybe less than a $1 ; the key is to get to the metro station. You can take a bus from the airport to a metro stop and from there go anywhere. The metro ends not far from the airport. Obviously some details are left out here but this is my opinion and I'm sure it's possible.

The ride from the airport was "interesting". The car seems like it routes the exhaust through the passenger compartment but it otherwise runs ok and now I get to see a bit of Moscow and the local highway system. Traffic is very heavy, lane markers are ignored. The airport is far northwest side of Moscow and my apartment is on the southeast about an hour or so away. I chat with the driver as best I can and try to soak in my first impressions of Russia and Moscow. Lots of cars stopped here and there for mechanical problems. The cars are all beaters, not fancy, basic, bare bones generic autos of mostly Russian and east European make although I see the occasional ford, japenese, and German auto (the occasional big Mercedes really stand out, I'm told these belong to "mafia") All the signs are in Russian (of course) but there is a mixture of alphabets used; transliteration into the roman alphabet is common. I see the sign for Leningrad and towns I know nothing of. The air is oily with the texture of diesel as well as the smell. Streets, buildings, cars all seem to be in poor shape. No garbage anywhere, No graffiti at all. The whole place is both clean and dirty at the same time if you can reconcile these ideas. I see huge apartment buildings in the classical neo-stalinist design that you see in pictures out of Russia. I think there is something like 10 million in the Moscow area and most all live in these huge public housing projects including my host where we soon arrive direct without any detour my driver takes me straight to the proper door of the proper building. Good thing to cause I could never have found it on my own despite having the address. One thing that quickly strikes you about Moscow and Russia itself is the huge scale of everything. My guide later describes this as a characteristic of Russian architecture, style etc: The place is HUGE; buildings, streets, monuments, the land everything is way overdone. The place is built with a different sense of scale. I pay the driver (clean, US $ currency) he thanks me and is gone and now here I am.

My host is Lily and now I am where I need to be. I will be here 3 days with her. She is expecting me so I'm sure I'm in the right place. She speaks not one word of English and about as much German as I do Russian. I am in an apartment in one of those huge public housing tracts that are everywhere. The inside is neat, tidy. The outside looks like public housing (public housing in the US paradigm) except for being spotless, it is a clean, building and grounds in disrepair with no frills, no trimming, no extras, no graffiti, no garbage. I quickly learn that in Russia most buildings are in various states of disrepair and are literally falling apart; the place looks like no serious maintains done on poorly constructed buildings in years (the best buildings in Russia are pre-revolution). But the apartment I'm in is nice and Lily is a nice person and we can communicate a little bit. I have a Russian phrase book with me (berlitz) I quickly learn the russian alphabet, within a couple days I am reading fine in Russian (really, it's no problem) and my phrase book starts getting a real workout. My stay in a private apartment is costing me $25/day and includes breakfast and dinner (Russian style food of course) I'm there at dinner so she fixes me some food. The food is different but is edible. The food is generally somewhat bland, different tastes etc. and is in smaller quantities (than typical American style) This is an observation, not a judgment. She did make me Borscht one night, boy that was good! She even seemed pleased that I understood what it was enough to ask for it when we were discussing food one time, same thing with my Petersburg hosts. The kitchen looks like a normal apartment kitchen. The interior of the refrigerator is a bit different in no package foods, everything is homemade from basic raw materials.

Larisa, my guide from the Moscow agency, that was supposed to have met me at the airport comes to the apartment later and apologizes profusely for having missed me at the airport; her English is pretty marginal but I get that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and she says something about the flight not being posted properly and anyway everything now is ok. Missing me is an error (and also a loss cause somebody else got the fare for bringing me into town, $50 is a LOT of money to a Russian) but she makes up for it later with extra services as does Sergey. This is the only glitch in the whole trip and is quickly forgotten.

The Next Day, Moscow

The agenda for today is to get oriented, get a train ticket for St. Petersburg, mail some postcards, get a tour of the city. Busy day. Larisa meets me early and we head out into the city. Using the bus to get to a Metro stop and from there we go downtown. Public transport in Moscow (and St.Petersburg) is first rate, really good, fast, reliable, clean, cheap, crowded. I read somewhere that the Moscow Metro moves something like 7 million people a day (some of this is probably the same person traveling twice, after all getting there is only half the trip: still gotta get home) but it is a lot of people and was always crowded. If you miss the train there will be another in 60 seconds or less! They move really fast. It operates on tokens, you go through these gates and if you try to go through without paying (or move to quickly) a gate comes up and bars your passage (no cage, no sirens, it simply won't let you in) once in the system you can go anywhere on the same token. The metro system is absolutely magnificent, the stations themselves are a work of art. I really like it. It was extremely easy to navigate around (once you learned to read Russian no, but seriously, I had no problem at all with the system solo. You do have to know where you are going and counting stops is a good idea as a backup to seeing/hearing the name of the station called out.

Sending postcards home is a bit more of a special event than I had anticipated. The mail operates differently: international mail is strictly segregated from domestic. There are no mailboxes at random locations through the city. To mail a postcard I had to go to the main post office, buy the postcard and postage there and mail it from there also. They sold me an envelope with the postage already affixed to it, I wrote on the postcard placed it inside the envelope and mailed it from that spot through the special international postbox. Making phone calls out is also a special event that I didn't experience first hand but I guess you have to make an appointment to use an international line a day or so in advance and the rates are EXTREMELY expensive.

Changing Money was another first day event. Fairly uneventful as one can (legally) change money almost anywhere. The best rates (legitimate) were found at the post office (where I mailed the cards) and at the train station where I got the ticket for St.Petersburg. DON'T change money at the western-style hotels: criminally rip-off exchange rates there. One can (illegally) change money everywhere also. I was advised against this even by knowledgeable Russians; it is to easy to get screwed and the rates are not that much better to offset the risks besides Russia is so darn cheap why bother? However if you are tempted to do this based on what I saw/heard this is how to do it even if you don't speak any Russian. First change only small amounts at a time, must have US $ currency, clean, unwrinkled (10% surcharge if your money is not physically in good shape) $20 is a good amount (this is a lot of money in Russia) First, display the note you want to change and then put it back in your pocket, with hand motions indicate to your banker to count out the amount of rubles he/she will give for that note, set the ruble currency down, put your hand on the currency while simultaneously with your other hand reach into your pocket withdraw the US note and hand it over simultaneously withdrawing the Russian currency, Watch the ruble currency closely to verify the amount is correct (if you can't change money in your head you have no business playing these games). Note that money changing is a mafia controlled operation, changing large amounts is likely to draw the kind of attention you don't want and increase the risk of being screwed. IMHO it simply ain't worth the risk besides you can spend US currency directly on items of value and interest and negotiate better exchange rates in that manner. At the flea market for example all the stuff was priced in US $, At GUM department store everything was priced in $ (To expensive, go only to look). On the way out I had a few stamps on my paperwork and receipts for stuff but they didn't even glance at it. Also Russian law has changed recently and you can legitimately take out of the country a few million rubles ( I think up to 3, why would you want to?) I "smuggled" out a bunch of ruble banknotes as souvenirs (GREAT small gift idea) before I realized nobody cared. If you're a Monopoly player it might be fun to get enough Russian currency to play Monopoly with real money.

Mafia is another big subject popular in the western press. Here is my experience with the Russian mafia in Moscow and in St.Petersburg: Never saw them. I won't say it's a myth. I did see some rather ostentatious displays of obscene wealth and people I asked flat out confirmed their existence but for the casual visitor they don't exist. If you are there to do business of any sort you will encounter them but I was looking and didn't see them. My hosts laughed at me in the same way I laugh at people who ask me about Al Capone and the gangsters of Chicago (where I am from). Well, yeah but there is more to the city than the mafia and even if you look for them you likely won't see them. (note, your mileage may vary)

The Train Station was interesting. Big statue of Lenin in the main hall and some patriotic stuff here and there. Larisa bought the train ticket for me at Russian rates (substantially cheaper than for foreigners) First class ticket one way to St.Petersburg (daytime) was about $8, more on the train later.

Went to the Kremlin and went through some churches. We had an afternoon appointment to meet a guide for the city tour. Larisa was marginal on her English and sub-contracted out the city tour to a middle-aged woman who spoke excellent German; by this time I was happy to find somebody I could communicate with. Anyway before that had an interesting experience touring the Kremlin and churches therein. Every building has it own admission charge, The Russians are learning capitalism fast! But the rates for foreigners are typically 10-20 times the rates for Russians. Larisa would buy the tickets at Russian rates and we would then visit the church, building, whatever. She got me in one place on a russian student ticket for about 200 rubles (5000 = $1) and the American couple in front of us had just paid the equivalent of about $20!! There was a sharp eyed gatekeeper at one place however that kicked me out for not being Russian and trying to get in with a Russian ticket. We discussed this later as to how she knew cause I was keeping my mouth shut at all times while Larisa did the talking. We decided it was my Ray Bans and my smile that gave me away: Russians don't smile. So afterwards I tried to look bored, unsmiling and was never caught again. I figure the savings on all the admissions more than paid for the cab ride on the first day.

The city tour with the guide was great! We hired a "cab" and drove around for a few hours all over town. Saw a lot of interesting sites. The way one deals with cabs in Russia is interesting. Put out your hand and flag down anybody who will stop and take you where you want to go. Everything there is cash, under the table and on-the-side, owning a car is to own a real money making asset. This is why you need a Russian-speaking aide! We stopped at a new museum that had just opened a few days previously as a monument to "The Great Patriotic War" and this is something that really made a deep impression on me: the Russian experience with the war. The museum was magnificent, I was there in mid-May just after the 50th anniversary events. It was very apparent to me from what I saw and the people I talked to that the war represents some sort of really Holy event in the Russian psyche. I knew this intellectually before going but actually seeing some of this was another matter. My guide's father had died at Stalingrad. She told me of the more than 30 million dead of the Russian people. Stalin said that a single death was a tragedy but a million dead was a statistic. I saw the mass grave of the dead from the siege of Leningrad and it was larger and as impressive and moving as anything I ever saw in Germany of the Camps or even Auschwitz which I've also visited (another story for another day). Americans should consider this: in ALL American wars from the revolution to the Gulf the number of American dead is some 1,300,000 ; The Russians lost more than that before the gates of Leningrad over 900 days. Consider that in the Vietnam war over a 12 year period we lost some 50,000 ; The russians lost more than that in individual battles and in single days. I have studied American history since I was very young and cannot claim any real expertise or understanding of the Russians after so brief a visit other than that I understand there is something really different there to be understood. All the people I met were really decent, friendly folks. Nobody ever wanted war. It is incredible the amount of national wealth that has been spent in the last 50 years developing the capability to destroy these people.

We spoke of the recent changes and the prospects for the future. We were mutually grateful that the prospects for mutual destruction are almost gone. Life in Russia today is hard and she agreed with me that the struggle of today is for the children of tomorrow. The people who have it so hard today hope for a better tomorrow if Russia can hold together. I talked politics every chance I could and found nobody hesitant or unwilling to give me opinions. I tried to be non-judgmental and objective and heard a lot of interesting stuff that you don't hear in the western news media. One overwhelming impression of Russia is that you can learn more there in one day than you can from 20 years of the western press. There is no substitute for seeing with your own eyes what an amazing country and people this is.

The markets and the manner in which the "consumer economy" (such as it is) works for individuals is really different than in the west. There are virtually None large department stores of any sort. Even GUM, the largest in Russia, is really not all that impressive (except for the prices, wow!) by western standards. The impressive thing about GUM is the architecture, history and location, (borders Red Square). Besides that I was under whelmed. Shops and shopping areas are few, far between, small in size and location and for somebody with western money generally very cheap. You see a lot of sidewalk vendors and individuals selling individual items at unpredictable locations and times if you live there and actually care about and need something specifically. In St.Petersburg Sergey remarked to me as we went by a small sidewalk vendor "They've got garlic here, gonna have to come back later". No vending machines: you see vending people such as the crowds outside every Metro stop. There would be an old woman with a can of coke in her hand (for sale) , or another with a pair of pants (have anything in my size? No, just this one pair? (!)), I saw a lot of puppies and kittens in peoples arms for sale. The Russians are really big on animals it seems; love pets. However, they want a LOT of money for them. One vendor we talked to with a cute small animal wanted some ridiculous sum over $100 (cash US $) This was for Larisa, I had no desire for animals and only noted this as a curious custom.

Kiosk vendors are real popular and are everywhere. I though food was rather scarce and only available in small quantities but it is available which some pointed out as a real difference to a few years ago even though now it is very expensive (for a russian). Toilets are another area of concern to westerners. One guide book I read advised taking western toilet paper on a trip to Russia. I did and felt like a real fool too. Not necessary. The russian stuff is fine, it's not cardboard or sandpaper and while it is not Charmin either it is useable and not an item of concern. If you are real sensitive you can always buy the western stuff at various vendors here and there. The toilets there are set up and operated a bit differently. If you want to use a public toilet (they are ALL pay toilets 2-300 rubles) you must provide your own paper or figure out how to say "Toilet Paper" in russian to the surly attendant Most of the toilets are fairly conventional design, no big surprises except one place they were just a hole in the floor. A curious custom in the apartments is that the toilet itself is in a separate closet from the sink, washing facilities. It was like this in Poland also (another article)

Saw Lenin. He's looking rather well for somebody who's been dead 70 years. (most bizarre thing I ever saw)

Saw some cannons in the Kremlin that had been left behind by Naploeon in 1812 , That was interesting.

Another Day

Travel day to St. Petersburg. I took the day train. Sergey and Larisa both wanted me to take the night train. Overnight sleeping compartment, really a nice way to travel in western Europe, I've done it many times but this was Russia and the overnight train between Moscow and St.Petersburg has a bad reputation and I was concerned. In retrospect I think most of this is urban legend and I think if I went again I would take the night train but my other reason for the day train is valid also and that is a chance to see a bit of the countryside between Moscow and St. Petersburg. This is interesting and is enough of a reason in my opinion. It rained much of this day (only time during my trip, timed that right!) The countryside was scenic and worth seeing. There was a lot of things I didn't see such as roads. Mostly small roads, no major highways crossed the train's path. The houses were curious also; lot's of wood, log houses and an obvious lack of any real wealth. Small Villages on the way. The occasional military vehicles on other trains. Rusting steam engines on sidings. The train takes about 8-9 hours between Moscow and St. Petersburg. I had a russian ticket, Larisa got me on the train in first class, found my seat and enlisted the standby help of a couple surrounding passengers just in case. I bought a russian language magazine (with lots of pictures) just in case so I would appear even more russian and kept my mouth shut; no problem. First class 9 hour train journey for $8 and when I got to the St.Petersburg train station my next host was there with a sign and my name and took me straight through to my next apartment.

Another Day in St. Petersburg, Russia

This is a great town! I loved it and I receieved excellent advice on how to ratio a limited amount of time between Moscow and St. Petersburg. If you only have 10 days to spend, 3 in Moscow and the rest in St. Petersburg is a good introduction to Russia. My host family was Olga and Alek with son Sasha and daughter Natasha. The children spoke good English but the daughter was shy and wouldn't speak much despite almost perfect speech, she had been taking english since 6 years old and is now 12. The parents spoke virtually no english but were very nice people and very good place to stay for a few days. My first day there was the city orientation tour with Sergey and was very interesting. Books have been written on the sights of St. Petersburg and I will not rephrase them here other than to say that the city is magnificent! Nevsky Prospect, Hermitage, Museums, churches, etc. etc. magnificent!

I was on my way between museums and stopped in a park to have a bit of lunch and to rest my feet. Bought a beer from the local brewery (Baltika, very good) in a half liter bottle and sat by a tree watching people walk by. A curious thing happened to me as I finished my beer: an elderly woman walked up to me and asked for the empty bottle (in russian, I'm sure that's what she said cause when I just nodded my head she took the bottle and said Spaseeba, Spaseeba (thank you) which I did understand) This happened to me everyime and anywhere I went and had an empty bottle somebody would ask for the empty. Very curious. I try to blend in with the local people as much as possible and try not to appear as an American tourist when I travel so I can better observe and learn more and I think I succeeded in Russia judging by the number of people who came up to me and spoke Russian to me. Soldiers would ask for a light or the time. Very interesting. I know I was in areas and traveled in a manner that the typical American does not. I got to recognize americans immediately myself. At one museum that Sergey and I went to he was questioned by the gatekeeper as to being a foreigner (he had on a Maryland sweat-shirt and some other American clothes, very popular with Russians BTW), she didn't say a word to me! Guess I learned something in Moscow!

Had a real adventure there one day. Took the bus to Novgorod, a small city of historical significance about 3 hours south of St.Petersburg. It was nice but not worth a whole day in my opinion. Another assortment of churches and historically significant stuff but most of it was closed for renovation and even if open I don't hink it worth a full day but I went. The adventure was the trip home. This was a regular bus I took, not a tourist or excursion bus and everyone on the bus was russian who needed to get back to St. Petersburg. I'm traveling with a russian ticket right (thanks again Sergey!) and I don't speak russian. I showed it to the driver as I get on with a bored unsmiling typical russian expression (me and the driver) and we head on down the road. At one stop he came to me and said something in russian that I didn't understand except for the word "Bilety" (ticket), I start reaching into my pocket with a bored expression that tries to communicate the thought "What, are you asking me this for, I already showed you my ticket" I think I was successful cause he made a dismissive gesture himself as in "ok, now I remember" and goes back to the drivers seat. Later in the journey problems start to develop with the bus of a mechanical nature. He stops several times, goes back and tinkers with the motor until one stop he can't fix it and there we are stuck out in the middle of nowhere north russia. Shit! (excuse me) what am I gonna do now!!! I don't know where I am, surrounded by people who speak a strange language and the bus won't go. What to do? Everybody gets off the bus, a few curse the driver and bus company (I know that's what I did but not out loud) and a few stick out there arms to wave down traffic and attempt to get back to St.Petersburg. A group of about 5 others had succeeded in waving down an empty mini-bus. I made the sign language gestures for "Room for one more?" They waved me in and it's off to St.Petersburg to the nearest Metro Stop and then I can get home ok. He takes us all to the first Metro stop on the far south side of St.Petersburg and from there no problem. We each give him 10,000 rubles (about $2) He's happy, we're happy and as far as I know that dam bus is still sitting back there at the turnoff for Murmansk!

Well, I still have a lot more to say but I think I'll save it for another posting. There's a lot I've left out here certainly. My brief time in Russia gave me memories for a lifetime. I found the country far superior to my pre-conceived notions. It was safe, clean, the people were very friendly. It was all magnificent my only regret is that I didn't have more time and I didn't get a samovar or one of those great hats! I'll be happy to answer any questions and fill in the gaps of what is missing from this report.

Costs: Everything I spent in Russia for 10 days came to something between $500-$600 (USD) (except for airfare from Germany via Aeroflot) This covered lodging, food, trains, buses, metro, museums, souvenirs, miscellaneous. Russia is CHEAP (unless you insist on "American Style" which is VERY expensive but you miss the real country then).

I hope I can return again but have no idea now when that could be.

Tom

Click here to visit Tom's website.

Travel Links

For link exchange click here

Global | International | Backpacker recourses| Into the Internet | Africa | Asia | Europe | Latin America | North America | Australia | Austria | Belgium | Canada | Caribbean | China | Costa Rica | Cyprus | Czech Republic | France | Germany | Greece | Hong Kong | Hungary | India | Indonesia | Ireland | Italy | Japan | Malaysia | Mexico | Netherlands | New Zealand | Poland | Russia | Singapore | Spain | Switzerland | Thailand | Turkey | United Kingdom | USA|