The Moscow

Moscow is still the beautiful, crazy metropolis that it was. It's strange: I don't usually like huge cities (for example, I am not such a big fan of London) but Moscow has something that calls me there. I'm not sure I'd have a good time living in there, but it would certainly be worth a try. The distances are humongous, but the metro system works perfectly: is there anywhere else where trains can pass consistently at intervals of 1 minute?

 

A big issue, though, is that Muscovites seem sometimes to be trapped in the city. It takes at least two hours to get out of the city (with the car, a bus, or an “elektrichka” - a suburban train), and everything is crowded like hell.

To add to that, there is still the feeling of old-style power plays going on: when we were in Moscow, the highway to Sheremetyevo airport (Leningradskoe Shosse, which by the way is also the highway connecting Moscow to St. Petersburg) was closed. Yes, you got that right: closed. In the middle of the summer holiday period. Thousands of people missed their flights.

Supposedly a bridge had to be restored, a bridge that hadn't been repaired in 50 years. But in fact nobody was actively working on it. The word was that the city authorities (responsible for the maintenance of the road) were purposely boycotting Sheremetyevo to favour another airport (Vnukovo), which they own. Somebody might want to go there and explain how boycotting the major airport of the city cannot have a positive effect on the economy of a city, but I suppose that might be words in the wind.

Anyway, I won't drone on about Moscow, because it's not the point here. We'd seen it, we know we'll come back, so we just wanted to leave as soon as possible. I believe Moscow deserves some time for itself, as there are many things off the main tourist track to discover. But if you're embarking for a Transib, leave it soon. It's expensive, and it sucks you in.