So, erm, hi again. I’ve been long for a very long time. I promised a photo diary on my trip to Moscow way back in February, but then I vanished. Too many things were happening for me to post. Suffice to say that I’m happily engaged now (not coincidentally; also, my Russian is much improved), and I am working on my bar exam and on my doctorate. During the year, I was so busy with a major project I landed that chatting about politics was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
Well, despite having to study like mad, now I can afford to return to life. Occasionally. For a bit. And I owe you ladies and gentlemen a photo diary. It’s a short one, because playing the tourist wasn’t my primary motivation for going over there, and other things occupied most of my time and energy. But I did manage to snap a few photos of the heart of Teh Ebil Empire.
Moscow was quite charming, really. And the people were very friendly. Perhaps it’s because I speak sone Russian, and they appreciate you trying, but in my experience that “unfriendly Moscow” stereotype is a load of tripe. As for the social aspects of the Russian capital, I wasn’t there for a very long time, so it’s difficult for me to judge them, but based on my observations I can say the following:
- Russians still live very humbly compared to Europeans, but in comparison to the chaos of the 1990s things have improved drastically. Although it should be noted that Moscow, along with the wider oblast’ (region) is not representative of the country as a whole. In terms of economy, the capital is a state within a state, and life is better here than in most other regions. Generally, Russia is characterised by drastic variations in regional living standards. Moscow, Sankt Pertersburg, Tatarstan, and Novosibirsk, for example, are much better off than someplace like Altai or Dagestan.
- The feeling of national pride revived by Putin with Crimea, the Donbass, and general assertiveness seems to be genuine. Also, the humiliation of the 1990s is keenly felt. Understand that and the increase in living standards, and you can pretty much see where Putin gets his credibility and support from. It really doesn’t help the opposition that much of it was in power during the ‘90s. People tend not to forget — nor forgive — that for a very long time.
- As for the endless subject of Western analysis — Russian propaganda and the media — I quite deliberately did not broach that topic in conversation. But The Moscow Times, a... not very Putin-friendly English-language newspaper (to put it mildly), was available freely in my hotel.
So, without further ado, here is a selection of photographs. Feel free to use them, with attribution to my pseudonym:
An evening at the Moskva river. Cold, but romantic. As I happen to like winter, the cold was not a problem at all. My favourite photo.
St. Basil’s Cathedral. Very charming in real life. Like religion or hate it, religious monuments can be beautiful.
Tretyakovskaya gallery. Anyone with an interest in the fine arts should definitely pay it a visit. This building houses non-contemporary art.
Stalinist gothic. I love actual gothic and neo-gothic styles, but this… has to be an acquired taste, I guess.
Zamoskvrechye, where my hotel was. A charming corner of Moscow, and the historic merchant quarter.
You know what really sucks in Moscow? The traffic. Use the Metro (subway).
Onto the Red Square.
A tower on the square.
The Red Square, with skating ring. The most beautiful tower was being renovated. I love my endless luck. :)
Another cathedral. I forget the name.
