Touch down in Moscow!
It didn't take long to experience the non-political correctness, for which I have heard Russians are famous. As we awaited our exit from the plane, having touched down at gloomy Moscow airport, one of the two female BA pilots emerged from the cockpit; the cheery Russian man next to us was visibly surprised, saying (not quietly), 'you women get everywhere these days!'. The pilot smiled back politely.
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We are now sitting aboard the express train into Moscow. Getting through arrivals was very swift; immigration officers no more unfriendly than in most other countries I've visited, (nowhere is as bad as America in my experience!).
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Having arrived at Mockba train station, we made our way underground and caught our first glimpse of the impressive Moscow Metro, built under Stalin's rule. The stations are vast and ornate; lots of marble and chandeliers. Eventually we found the line we needed to get to our hotel - signage was all in Russian, so it was a little tricky! (Thankfully, on board train announcements are in English as well as Russian).
We reached our destination station, Komsomolskaya, and walked to our hotel, the Hilton Leningrad.
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Unfortunately both myself and my other half ended have up with man-flu, just in time for this trip, (we went to Ibiza last weekend which may have something to do with it). So we crashed out early on Friday night, hoping to recharge enough for some serious sightseeing.
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After a heavy sleep, we headed into Moscow centre at about midday, quickly finding our feet on the metro. We got to Tretyakovskaya station, and walked towards The State Gallery. However, we decided that neither of us were really in the mood for art; we needed to make the most of our energy, and the decent weather. We made our way over to Moskva River from where we caught first sight of the landmark St Basils Cathedral, and the walls of Red Square.
Red Square was preparing for a military tattoo, a competition of parades between militaries of many countries. It was good to see that many NATO countries were happily competing in Russia, given that they are currently building up on Russia's western borders, in response to so-called 'Russian aggression' - the annexation of Crimea. (See here for an alternative to the western mainstream media narrative re these events, written by I.F. Stone Winner, Robert Parry).
Also in the famous square, there was another temporary arena which, as we passed, was host to several horse backed riders, some with Russian flags, some with Chilean flags. And some dancers too. I don't really know what it was all about, but the control that the riders had over their horses was impressive! And it was quite a spectacle with the State Historical Museum, and GUM department store, as a backdrop.
We had a quick look inside the GUM department store, a beautiful building inside and out, with many high-end shops.
Back onto the square, we wondered passed another stage with a youth band performing enthusiastically.
We had planned to visit the Kremlin museum, but there was a long queue, and we were conscious of our waning stamina, so we headed away from the historical centre, via stunning streets of classical architecture, towards Patriarch Ponds.
As we approached, we quickly realised that we had reached a very cosmopolitan area of the city, with trendy restaurants, numerous expensive cars, and glamorous people, (and a 'Chanel Cafe'!).
Whilst walking around the pond itself, we passed two guys walking a small dog. I can't know for sure, but I'd bet that they were a couple. As is widely known, Russia is not a particularly LGBT friendly country. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian general populace sought religion (Orthodox Christianity) as a replacement belief system. The Orthodox Church are vehemently homophobic. Furthermore, homosexuality was only decriminalised in 1994, having been illegal under the Soviet Union.
In 2013, the infamous 'gay propaganda law' was passed in the Russian Duma, which makes it illegal for anyone to suggest to children that 'non traditional relationships' are equitable to 'natural' opposite sex relationships. This has, I have read, emboldened the already gay fearing Russian populace.
Whilst my solidarity is very much with LGBTs in Russia, I think it is important to understand that Russia, as a modem state, is very young, and I strongly believe that societal change must come from within. (Read this for some opinions of young gay Russians).
On a positive note, a bill was put forward in the Duma last year by two members of the Communist Party, which would ban all public displays of affection between two men; this bill has not (yet) passed, and I can find no evidence that suggests it will.
So anyway... it was good to see this couple happily strolling in the park. As a same sex couple ourselves, we were of course slightly apprehensive about coming to Russia. Not just because of the anti-gay stuff, but also, I believe we in the west have been brainwashed to extent, to fear 'the Russians'. The country is always presented in a negative light in western media, and in films, (how often is the 'baddie' a Russian?). With the Cold War ending relatively recently, I guess it is only natural, but with tensions between the US and Russia again rising, based on contestable evidence of 'Russian meddling' in the US election, and the previously mentioned events in Crimea, it would seem that anti-Russian sentiment is going nowhere. If you need proof of how manipulated people are by the media, just mention to someone that you're off to Russia on holiday - you will most likely get a look of mild horror. (We even had this from the Check-In lady at Heathrow!).
After several hours of taking in the sights and exploring the impressive streets, we headed back to the hotel to recoup. I had planned on a wild night out, seeing what Moscow has to offer in terms of gay nightlife, but annoyingly we were both still feeling pretty awful. So we just headed to one club - Ice Club. We couldn't face the metro so we got a taxi back into town. It dropped us off in clearly quite a fashionable area, and we eventually found the club hidden in a car park just behind a fairly busy street of bars. It was 23.45 when we got there, and having paid the 250 Rouble entry fee (£2.50) to the friendly bouncer, we realised that we had come too early; the club was completely dead. Literally no one there but us. Having grabbed a couple of vodka cokes we sat and waited. It wasn't until about 1am that people started arriving. By 1.30, the small dance floor was packed. The music thumped, the diverse crowd gyrated, shots were downed; it was no different to being in a small club in the UK, (but with more smoking!). We left at 2am, having forced ourselves, despite our sickness, to sit for two and a half hours in a stuffy basement club with head ache inducing music. Perhaps it was a bit stupid of us, but I was eager to see that gay nightlife does indeed exist in Moscow.
There are other, bigger, gay clubs elsewhere in the city - Central Station I think is the most popular. Hopefully we'll get there next time!
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Understandably, we didn't rise the next day until midday. My planned itinerary for our second day was to visit the out-of-town Izmailovsky Market, followed by the Gulag museum. Having lost much of the day, and in need of some decent food, we decided to skip the former, and headed back to Patriarch Ponds to grab something to eat. Thankfully many restaurant menus are written in both Russian and English. We found a very nice looking place, Saxon + Parole, that was doing all day breakfast. I had a berry tea and a really tasty eggs-benedict-like dish - poached eggs and salmon, on fish cakes (I think).
After brunch, we gradually made our way north east, in the general direction of the Gulag museum. Looking at my map I noticed we were walking near to Moscow Hermitage Garden, so we made a slight detour. There was a locals food/craft market being held here, complete with a temporary stage and an opera singer, so we had stroll around and got a feel for Russian family life in Moscow. It didn't feel dissimilar to being at an English village fair.
I had decided that I wanted to visit the Gulag Museum having had an argument on Twitter with an American who seemed convinced that Russians still longed for the days of the Soviet Empire, and were in denial about the atrocities of Stalin's rule. I'm sure there is truth in it, just as many in the UK look back at the murderous British Empire with high regard. But if this museum, endorsed by their President, is anything to go by, it seems to me that Russians are more than capable of accepting their country's dark past. All of the harrowing details regarding Stalin's Gulags are presented, including via video interviews with former detainees. Definitely worth a visit!
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For our last evening in Moscow, we went to a restaurant called Propaganda. It transforms into a club at 23.30 every night, and has regular gay nights. The crowd was quite young (I felt old!), the food was decent, and the waiter's very smiley and welcoming. My gaydar isn't amazing but there was definitely all sexual orientations present! (We noticed one pair who had been at Ice Club). In the microcosm of this restaurant at least, it felt no different to being in the liberal cities of the west.
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St Petersburg
We took a 1.5 hour flight from Moscow up to St Petersburg, boarding the plane behind a lady carrying a hairless cat (random). The temperature difference was instantly notable, but at least we had left the rain behind. Thankfully it had remained dry in Moscow for the two full days we were there, but it was chucking it down on our final morning.
On the taxi ride into the city it became apparent that we were entering one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. Street after street of majesty and palpable history.
As a surprise (it's my birthday next week), Mark had booked us into the Four Seasons - he travels a lot with work and had earned enough points for a two night stay. As you'd expect, it is a stunning hotel!!
As we only have two nights here, we wanted to get sightseeing straight away. I decided that a good
way for us to get a good overview of the city, and get our bearings, would be to jump on a boat tour. We chose Anglo Tours, and set off at 17.00 for a one and a half hour cruise. We motored along the canals, under extremely low bridges, passing many of the most famous sights of the city; too many Palaces and colourful churches to mention. The English speaking guide was great, and I would definitely recommend taking one of these tours; particularly good for photography.
The tour finished at 18.30 and we had just enough time to grab some dinner before an evening at the ballet. It felt rude to come to Russia and not see either some ballet or Opera. Unfortunately the most famous theatres seem to be out of action in August, but I eventually found that the Alexandrinksy Theatre was not, so we booked seats for Swan Lake. We splashed out and went for the front row - about £70 a seat.
The theatre itself is impressive, quite intimate but very grand at the same time. And I'm no expert, but the ballet seemed top notch to me, with stunning sets, staging and music. The audience was a mix of Americans/Europeans, offloaded from nearby cruise ships, and Russians. Some in the audience were smartly dressed, but many were very casual. You definitely don't need to worry about wearing black tie/gown!
On our walk from the theatre back to the hotel, it struck me how lively the city still was, late night on a Monday. The numerous bands busking on street corners, mostly playing western music, which we had passed earlier in the day, were still playing. And we even passed a Russian 'rap battle'!
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For our one full day in St Petersburg, we decided to very loosely follow this Frommers recommended itinerary. Highlights include climbing the spiral staircase to the top of St Isaacs Cathedral, a great vista for panoramic views of the city. (High chance you will pass several wedding parties/couples around the cathedral).
We decided to go to the renowned Hermitage museum late on in the day - you could easily spend most of the day here, but as we only had a short stay in the city, and as the weather was decent, we preferred to take in the city sights as much as possible.
Prepare for the spectacular main staircase inside the Hermitage, with excessive gold, ornate carvings and ceiling art. It's quite mesmerising. This lavish theme continues throughout the vast museum.
In the evening, we ate at a Georgian restaurant - 'Cha Cha', located by one of the canals, between the Kazan Cathedral, and the Cathedral of the Saviour of Spilled Blood. It was just about warm enough to sit outside, so we did so, surrounded by interesting architecture, as people of all stripes passed by - great people watching spot.
After dinner we strolled along to the 'Spilled Blood' cathedral, a building similar in style to St Basils in Moscow. It looked great lit up in the night sky. We then walked a couple of streets parallel to a Jazz bar, '48 Chairs', which had been recommended. I imagine this place is lively at weekends, but this was a Tuesday night, and there were only a handful of people there. Still, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the pianist was incredible.
Unfortunately our last night ended on a sour note. After having stopped for 30 seconds to listen to a street band performing a Russian (I think) rock song, on our way back to the hotel from 48 Chairs, I got robbed. I stupidly had my DSLR hanging over my shoulder, and on the corner of a busy street, just by where this band were playing, four guys encircled me and I felt the lens of my camera un-click. I was slightly tipsy, and by the time I'd realised what had happened, two of the guys had wondered off, whilst the other two stayed nearby distracting me, one of them pulling an orange out of his backpack, to show that this was all he had on him. (I didn't hear the other two talk, but these two did not sound Russian).
I got complacent. I have genuinely felt very safe both in Moscow, and especially in St Petersburg, but like any other city, they have crime. I really should not have been walking around at 23.30 with a very expensive camera hanging over my shoulder!!! I would never do this in London.
DO NOT LET THIS PUT YOU OFF VISITING RUSSIA. If you do, you should basically never visit London. Or New York. Or Paris. Etc. Just be streetwise, unlike moi. Crime rates in St Petersburg are actually quite low.
(We got our hotel reception to call the Police and report the crime, as we needed a police statement for our insurance. A police officer came to the hotel the following morning.)
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The following morning, having met with the policeman, we went for some breakfast at a nearby cafe, and then for the last couple of hours before our flight home we decided to first return to the 'Spilled Blood' Cathedral, to see it in the daylight. From here we walked through the Mikhailovsky Gardens, and then over a canal, passing more amazing buildings, to the 'Summer Garden'. The weather on our final morning in Russia was clear and bright, and the sunlight filtering through the tall trees of green in this park made for a peaceful oasis.
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I arrived in Russia with some nerves. As said earlier, I feel I had been manipulated to an extent to make certain pre-judgements about Russia and her people. But we have found our experience to be welcoming and friendly. Which I actually find quite surprising - given that Russia is constantly maligned by western countries, and media, you would think they would hate us, ecpecially given all the US-led, UN imposed, sanctions. I'm sure some do.
The irony is that Russia, it seemed to be, is overtly 'westernised'. I think I have heard more UK/US pop music in Russia than I have heard in many European cities. And just in case anyone somehow still thinks Russia is communist (I have argued on Twitter with some who do!), it most definitely is not. High-end shopping and fast food chains are commonplace.
In terms of Russian attitudes to LGBTs, you will probably have problems if you are into PDAs, but as we are not, we have felt no different to being in any European city. And I think PDAs by LGBT people, even in parts of London, will bring trouble.
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