Russia – From Russia With Love

June 17-20

Hello everyone!

The Russian Federation. The world’s largest country. A place which many people have so many stereotypes about. And a temporary home to what seems to be the entire populations of Mexico, Colombia and Peru.

St Basil's Cathedral - a Russian icon

Mexicans playing up to their stereotypes for the locals

Russia is normally quite a tricky country to enter. Hosting the World Cup, however, has led the Kremlin to fling open its borders and invite the world to its largest football party. A Fan ID and match ticket are all that’s required to enter this monstrously massive mass of land. One match ticket was the price of a Russian visa outside of the World Cup period.

Zabivaka is the mascot of the 2018 World Cup

My first World Cup match: Poland vs Senegal in Moscow

Like most of Latin America it seems, I took this opportunity to visit a country which I have been fascinated by since studying its history and Cold War rivalry with the USA in school. I started where most foreigners will enter: Moscow.

A statue of Karl Marx, whose philosophies
influenced Moscow for most of the 20th Century

Russia is almost 10,000 km in length and 11 time zones

The capital is often classed as a megacity, and with good reason. It’s the largest entirely in Europe (Istanbul is bigger but partly in Asia) and officially home to about 12 million people. That’s more people than the countries of Portugal, Greece and Cuba. It was made the capital originally by Ivan IV Vasilyevich - you may know him as Ivan the Terrible.

An interesting juxtaposition near Pushkin Square: communist
logos behind a symbol of capitalism, the McDonald's 'M'

Traffic after midnight in Moscow

Ivan did do some truly terrible things (of which killing his own son s high on the list). It was under his stewardship, however, that Moscow’s most famous building was created: St Basil’s Cathedral. He commissioned the beautifully vivid structure after Kazan was conquered. When the light shines in a certain way, it looks like it belongs in a fairy-tale. Not to the architects, though – the legend goes that Ivan blinded them all so they’d never make something as beautiful again. I remember hearing that one in Prague, too…

St Basil's Cathedral is actually made up
of 9 or 10 small churches, depending on your source

The domes were originally gold, with the
colour added to the domes later

St Basil’s is on the south-eastern side of one of Moscow’s other iconic places: Red Square. It’s not actually red, nor is the name anything to do with the red buildings around it. Krasnya means red but is also an old word for ‘beautiful’.

The walls of the Kremlin behind Red Square

The square is used for events as diverse as military
parades and large rock concerts

This is all part of Russia’s distant past, when royalty reigned supreme in the form of Tsars. They were historically based in the Kremlin, which I’ll talk about in the next blog. There were two royal families, Rurik and Romanov. The first Romanov tsar, Mikhail Fyodorovich, was born in a house near the Moskova River which still stands today.

The Romanovs led Russia for 306 years

A corner of the Kremlin, where the Tsars lived
and were coronated

Memorials of more recent history – communism – are always visible thanks to the Seven Sisters. These were commissioned by Joseph Stalin, who was probably far more terrible than Ivan ever was.

The medieval tower is part of the Kremlin wall, with
the Stalinist building looming behind

The FIFA Fan Fest was at Moscow State University

Neither of these leaders have a good reputation. The current president doesn’t seem that popular in Western eyes either. I went on a free walking tour with most of Latin America and the host, Anna, stated with a smirk that there are “slight tensions between Russia and the rest of the world.”

Over 200 people were on our free tour - we split into five groups

The flags of the World Cup nations

Many people thought I was a bit mad when I said that I was going to Russia. I disagreed, saying that it would never be safer than during the World Cup. Putin’s capital has offered World Cup fans a very warm welcome.

This Iranian fan did keep-ups down the street for hundreds
of metres, all the way to the Bolshoi theatre

Watching Russia beat Egypt with Russians, Germans,
Moroccans and Namibians

Anna asked what stereotypes we may have had about Russia before arriving. The usual ones emerged: stony faces, rudeness, a concrete jungle of communism. I expected the first two to change for the World Cup but have been pleasantly surprised when walking around Moscow. Maybe it was the area I was staying in, but it had a fair amount of greenery and was very pleasant to walk around. Even at night. It seemed safe to me, though I know that it might be different outside of the World Cup.

A leafy boulevard near my hostel

I imagine it looks quite different in the winter...

Many of the buildings also have different styles, such as Neoclassical and Baroque, reminding me of many central European cities such as Prague and Vienna. Even though the main streets are packed with people, both locals and visitors, I didn’t find it too difficult to escape the rush just by taking one or two side streets, where many of the most ornate buildings can be found.

The world-famous Bolshoi theatre

Lots of beautiful buildings can be found in the side streets

Many cultures are mixing in Moscow but it’s also nice to see people from all over the world trying Russian experiences. Much of the food is similar to what I had in Kazakhstan. I’ve redeveloped a liking for borsch, a garishly purple beetroot soup. It’s supposed to be a winter dish but I’ve found it refreshing in the heat.

Dill is a key ingredient in borsch

A typical Russian canteen, which serves cheap, quality food

Football fever is certainly alive and kicking in Moscow. I’d be fascinated to see it outside of the World Cup, particularly in winter. It has been an interesting start to my Russian adventure.

I'm supporting Senegal in this World Cup

How Moscow is written in the Cyrillic alphabet

Wales! At the World Cup!

Love you all,

Matt