Москва - Relaxing in the heart of Mother Russia

After three unsuccessful attempts and many doubts that the trip will really happen this time Kerstin and Jakob brought Markus on Monday morning to the airport as he was heading for his first visit to Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation. Not having used the three previous one-year-visas he applied for resulted in the embassy only granting a 30-day visa. Maybe he is qualified now again for a longer one. Upon arrival at Domodedovo airport Russia presented itself with for November very mild 4 degrees but grey and overcast. Having been warned about the bad traffic Markus was quite surprised reaching the Ritz Carlton Hotel, just around the corner from the Kremlin and the State Duma, after 70 min by car. As his client arrived 1,5 hours later Markus used the time top explore the area by walking around the Kremlin and Red Square alongside quite a lot of moscovites. The day was concluded with a nice dinner at Nedal'nij Vostok with some of his Russian colleagues and his Scandinavian client where they had excellent famous Kamchatka crab.

In case you forget what day of the week it is: the elevator will tell you!

Due to the 2 hour time difference the next day started very early (pick-up at 0830 local time means 0630 Vienna time) and kicked off a day full with interesting meetings, hours in the car and experiencing the famous Moscow traffic. The fact that police is omnipresent on the roads provide a strange controversial feeling as on the one hand it feels “safe” but on the other hand one has the impression to be permanently controlled. What also is striking is the sharp contrast of wealth. You have Bentleys, Hummers, Maserati, Lamborghinis and Rolls Royce (not to mention “cheap” S-class Mercedes, BMW 7 series, Infiniti SUVs, Porsche Cayenne or Audi R8) stuck in traffic right next to old Ladas or Moskvitch. Most of the cars – even the expensive cars of the rich – were covered in dirt as the roads were pretty dirty, car exhausts polluting the air and the wet weather helped to spray it all over the place.

Saint Basil's Cathedral - One of the most famous sights in Moscow

The meeting-laden Tuesday was concluded with dinner at Café Pushkin, on of the oldest and most famous traditional Russian restaurants with typical Russian food. Vodka consumption on Markus’ table was low as his two colleagues drove their cars and stayed off the wagon and his client is anti-alcoholic anyway. That also meant that the whole trip provided a certain level of relaxation as not much alcohol and no partying at all were involved. There are probably not many people who can claim they go to Moscow and return relaxed. Given the tight schedule did not allow for any kind of sightseeing after dinner one of the Russian colleagues did a city tour through rainy Moscow in his car and showed & explained the two Moscow-rookies the main sights like the Kremlin, the State Duma, Lubyanka, the former KGB headquarter, and the famous Red Square with Lenin’s Mausoleum and St. Basil’s Cathedral.

The Red Square and Lenin's Mausoleum during a rainy November night

Several meetings on Wednesday and a few hours on the newly built Domodedovo Airport concluded this first trip to Russia. Moscow left a very positive impression on Markus and he for sure will be coming back again. It is a fascinating city with a lot of very present history, with huge obvious contrasts and a place where wealth is shown very openly but at the same time a city which can be very tricky and where one really needs a lot of money getting paid in order to have good life. And yet one is not able to enjoy the standard of living that Vienna offers.

Jakob, Kerstin & Markus