Moscow through my monocle
Due to the propaganda done by the Western Media, Russia has always been perceived by English readers in the negative light.
You watch a movie and the Mafias are synonymous with Russian
Who created the Blue Whale Challenge — a Russian
Meddled with American Presidential Elections — 12 Russians
I’ve spent all my life thinking that Russians are either Mafias or Serial Killers or Spies. In retrospect, all Russian news that I’ve read has clouded my mind with an unfavourable opinion of the country.
In fact, I’d never even thought that I’ll be going to Russia in this lifetime. For me, Russia was a country in perpetual state of agony and misery.
But, que sera sera, we were going to Russia to watch the Football World Cup. It was by chance that we applied for tickets and got them too.
When we got the tickets, I was cautioned upon my loved ones. They said:
I’ve heard you can mugged in Russia even in the day
If you’re brown, the Russian police stops you on the road and randomly asks you for your visa and throws you in the jail for no valid reason
Most Russians move about with a gun at all times
I was so dubious that I blatantly opposed my husband’s idea of exploring a homestay in Moscow. I insisted that we try couch-surfing in a “safe and rich” country in Europe.
Packing all these inhibitions in my bag-pack, my husband and I left on our journey to this notorious country.
Our first stop was Moscow and little did I know that Moscow would start busting my myths from day one itself.
Russia is so popularly known for its Vodkas but the first alcoholic drink that I had in Moscow was an elegant and earthy beer. I had the beer in a park, where there were families enjoying the evening, surrounded by lush greenery and calming water fountains. The park was equipped with everyone to pursue their hobbies. You could cycle, run, skate or just unwind. Everyone was so chilled out and carefree that it didn’t seem that they were routinely getting mugged in the daytime.
The next night, we’d hit a night club and we were returning from there at 3 AM in the morning. When we got off the cab, the driver asked us for 300 rubbles for a 1 KM ride. It was way more than the rate card price and the taxi driver kept haggling with us about the fare. As language was an issue, we couldn’t do much with verbal negotiations. Our hotel manager heard the commotion and came out in the dead of the night. Contradictory to what you’d expect, he didn’t pull a trigger on our foreheads but he helped us resolve the feud. He even apologised on the behalf of the greedy cabbie. The fact that he showed up to help two strangers, rather than someone from his own country, told us that he was essentially a human before being a Russian.
I also realised that Moscow is a super tourist friendly city. It has immaculate roads and metro connectivity. Its rich cultural heritage reeks opulence making it desirable for any tourist to travel to that corner of the world to experience the city’s eminence. The city’s warm Asian vibes blended with the lovely European overtones made it a swell destination for us to start our trip with.
I understood that my notion about the country was such a misnomer. In the three days that I was there, I’d truly fallen for Moscow and Moscovites.
This trip was a much-needed monocle that cleared up my vision and my baseless inhibition.
If you’ve had a travel experience that has totally changed your perspective about a country, share it in the comments section with me, so that I can put it on my bucket list too.
Sharing a few images of Moscow from my trip. Also check out my other blog on Travel Photography Trends in 2018 #RussiaEdition to see more pictures of this iconic destination.
Cheers! ✋🏻
All images clicked by Ritvij Dongre.
