It couldn't have been a more interesting time to visit Russia. With the apparent threat of a 'New Cold War' looming over us, there was that little thought at the back of my head that I would find myself stranded in Russia as World War Three dawned. Fortunately, the trip ran very smoothly (maybe apart from a certain engine incident during the overnight train that left us temporarily stranded in the Russian countryside) and in a spirit of excitement I visited Mother Russia with school in a whirlwind tour of its twin capitals: Moscow and St Petersburg.
While the trip was primarily an A-Level history trip, perhaps we gained the most insight from observing the political climate and opinion in today's Russia. For example, our guide was undoubtedly convinced that the tragic crash of flight MH17 was a result of Ukrainian rebels, not the Russia-backed rebels we in the West believe were to blame. In another interesting instance, the Western media had led me to believe in Putin's 'purgings' of the 'Western' fast food chain McDonalds, however, they were as prevalent and functional as they are in Britain.
Quite amusingly, our Cold War Bunker guide (who was nonetheless fabulous) welcomed us to the 'Soviet Union' before correcting himself with 'Former' Soviet Union. It's quite frightening to consider that my generation is the first in Russia not to grow up under Communism. However, Putin's Russia does not seem all that detached from its Soviet past. Equally, we were all very disturbed by the overt and Soviet-esque propaganda surrounding their 'supreme leader' and the general lack of irony in Putin merchandise. Countless t-shirts showed Putin smouldering, Putin riding horses topless, Putin in full military gear and my personal favourite: Putin bottle feeding baby deers (obvs trying to emulate Margaret Thatcher's calf picture). I think we were all a bit unnerved when our guide pointed out to us the KGB headquarters. This was not before she casually remarked that it was still in use today just with a different name. Whether Russians have a cruel sense of humour or she really wasn't joking, our tour guide later told us to stay on the designated paths in the Kremlin or else we would risk being sent to Siberia.
Travelling around Moscow, I couldn't help but be reminded of those few pictures the West has seen of North Korea with its bleak cityscapes with concrete buildings and wide boulevards devoid of any pedestrians. The Moscow Metro equally remained scarily reminiscent of pictures of Pyongyang with their ornate chandelier-clad stations with still intact murals of revolutionary leaders often Lenin and bronze statues and mosaics of the working people of the USSR, the strong and heroic man with his hammer and sickle and that resilient soviet maiden in her 'babuskha' scarf. Obviously Russia has come along a lot since Communism but what is with all this Lenin worship? He still is laying in a glass box over 20 years since the end of the Cold War and its also plain disgusting since its almost 100 years after his death. Just because you can embalm doesn't mean you should! Moscow certainly isn't a place I'd choose to live in but an absolutely fascinating place to visit. Red Square was certainly on my list of places to visit and it was amazing to stand in front of the iconic domes of St Basil's Cathedral and take an obligatory tourist selfie.
This city's history is fascinating and our visit to the Cold War Bunker was both terrifying and hilarious. The Bunker was the actual one Khrushchev bunked in at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis so it was particularly interesting for us since we had studied (woo GCSE History) the Cuban Missile Crisis to a greater extent from America's perspective with a clear picture of JFK with his advisors in the Oval Office and a less clear one of their counterparts in the USSR before now. The bunker itself is buried deep below Moscow (no lifts might I add- going back up was death) and we could hear the rumble of the passing metro trains. We weaved our way through a series of eery and dark corridors which felt like some weird dalek lair. Our guide gave us a mock missile launch demonstration and took great pains to reassure us that it was not a real launch. We knew the tour was really worth the money when he flapped his arms around in enthusiasm as he gave his live commentary of the launch. George was a great guide.
While the trip was primarily an A-Level history trip, perhaps we gained the most insight from observing the political climate and opinion in today's Russia. For example, our guide was undoubtedly convinced that the tragic crash of flight MH17 was a result of Ukrainian rebels, not the Russia-backed rebels we in the West believe were to blame. In another interesting instance, the Western media had led me to believe in Putin's 'purgings' of the 'Western' fast food chain McDonalds, however, they were as prevalent and functional as they are in Britain.
Quite amusingly, our Cold War Bunker guide (who was nonetheless fabulous) welcomed us to the 'Soviet Union' before correcting himself with 'Former' Soviet Union. It's quite frightening to consider that my generation is the first in Russia not to grow up under Communism. However, Putin's Russia does not seem all that detached from its Soviet past. Equally, we were all very disturbed by the overt and Soviet-esque propaganda surrounding their 'supreme leader' and the general lack of irony in Putin merchandise. Countless t-shirts showed Putin smouldering, Putin riding horses topless, Putin in full military gear and my personal favourite: Putin bottle feeding baby deers (obvs trying to emulate Margaret Thatcher's calf picture). I think we were all a bit unnerved when our guide pointed out to us the KGB headquarters. This was not before she casually remarked that it was still in use today just with a different name. Whether Russians have a cruel sense of humour or she really wasn't joking, our tour guide later told us to stay on the designated paths in the Kremlin or else we would risk being sent to Siberia.
Travelling around Moscow, I couldn't help but be reminded of those few pictures the West has seen of North Korea with its bleak cityscapes with concrete buildings and wide boulevards devoid of any pedestrians. The Moscow Metro equally remained scarily reminiscent of pictures of Pyongyang with their ornate chandelier-clad stations with still intact murals of revolutionary leaders often Lenin and bronze statues and mosaics of the working people of the USSR, the strong and heroic man with his hammer and sickle and that resilient soviet maiden in her 'babuskha' scarf. Obviously Russia has come along a lot since Communism but what is with all this Lenin worship? He still is laying in a glass box over 20 years since the end of the Cold War and its also plain disgusting since its almost 100 years after his death. Just because you can embalm doesn't mean you should! Moscow certainly isn't a place I'd choose to live in but an absolutely fascinating place to visit. Red Square was certainly on my list of places to visit and it was amazing to stand in front of the iconic domes of St Basil's Cathedral and take an obligatory tourist selfie.
This city's history is fascinating and our visit to the Cold War Bunker was both terrifying and hilarious. The Bunker was the actual one Khrushchev bunked in at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis so it was particularly interesting for us since we had studied (woo GCSE History) the Cuban Missile Crisis to a greater extent from America's perspective with a clear picture of JFK with his advisors in the Oval Office and a less clear one of their counterparts in the USSR before now. The bunker itself is buried deep below Moscow (no lifts might I add- going back up was death) and we could hear the rumble of the passing metro trains. We weaved our way through a series of eery and dark corridors which felt like some weird dalek lair. Our guide gave us a mock missile launch demonstration and took great pains to reassure us that it was not a real launch. We knew the tour was really worth the money when he flapped his arms around in enthusiasm as he gave his live commentary of the launch. George was a great guide.
St Petersburg was completely different. What Moscow lacked was pedestrians. Moscow appears a very car dependent city and a lot of it was made up of indoor and contained shopping centres/malls. Contrastingly, St Petersburg had the buzz of any typical European city with high streets and tonnes of people walking around. As the 'old' Russia (being the home of the Romanovs), it had gorgeous and old buildings and homes and has been compared to Venice for its series of bridges and canals. St Petersburg is where we learnt about pre-revolution Russia. In a visit to The Peter and Paul Fortress, we saw the church in which all the Tsars are buried including the remains of the last Tsar Nicholas II and his family. In the same complex was the prison which housed political prisoners during the reign of the Tsars. It was a discomforting place and the solitary confinement room the guide (rudely) locked us in definitely had a bad feel. Very interestingly, we visited the cell Trotsky (Snowball) once inhabited.
The Hermitage's Winter Palace was stunning in its grandeur but also remarkable in its art collection. Widely recognised as one of the greatest and largest museums in the world, I would have loved to spend longer viewing the countless Gauguins, Picassos and Mattises. We also learnt a lot about the Tsars who lived in the palaces and how it got its name. It's so ironic that it was named the 'Hermitage' because it was intended to be a small art collection like one for a hermit and now it is one of the largest and most visited attractions in the World.
Visiting a Russian secondary school was definitely an insightful experience. When we asked about their views on Putin, the reply was a kind of awkward 'yess - we're all supposed to love him.' Another was more straight as he told us he greatly disliked Putin. What was most worrying was the political ignorance the Russian educational system fosters. Politics is not taught at all and my friend said that many of them thought that there was absolutely no reason why they should vote. That's something that I find concerning as a Politics student.
The Ice Hockey Match was a definite highlight of the trip. Supporting our the St Petersburg team, SKA completely smashed the other team. I hardly imagined I would enjoy the game much but I has such a great time and am now a life long SKA supporter.
My trip to Russia was superb and something I'll always remember and I've only mentioned a fraction of what we saw and did. What was excellent was that I could share all these experiences with my friends and form great memories (oh those horrible histories marathons and fears of KGB surveillance). The week after Russia I was just miserable it had ended. I definitely recommend going to Russia especially for history lovers. It has the most fascinating past and an intriguing culture.
The Hermitage's Winter Palace was stunning in its grandeur but also remarkable in its art collection. Widely recognised as one of the greatest and largest museums in the world, I would have loved to spend longer viewing the countless Gauguins, Picassos and Mattises. We also learnt a lot about the Tsars who lived in the palaces and how it got its name. It's so ironic that it was named the 'Hermitage' because it was intended to be a small art collection like one for a hermit and now it is one of the largest and most visited attractions in the World.
Visiting a Russian secondary school was definitely an insightful experience. When we asked about their views on Putin, the reply was a kind of awkward 'yess - we're all supposed to love him.' Another was more straight as he told us he greatly disliked Putin. What was most worrying was the political ignorance the Russian educational system fosters. Politics is not taught at all and my friend said that many of them thought that there was absolutely no reason why they should vote. That's something that I find concerning as a Politics student.
The Ice Hockey Match was a definite highlight of the trip. Supporting our the St Petersburg team, SKA completely smashed the other team. I hardly imagined I would enjoy the game much but I has such a great time and am now a life long SKA supporter.
My trip to Russia was superb and something I'll always remember and I've only mentioned a fraction of what we saw and did. What was excellent was that I could share all these experiences with my friends and form great memories (oh those horrible histories marathons and fears of KGB surveillance). The week after Russia I was just miserable it had ended. I definitely recommend going to Russia especially for history lovers. It has the most fascinating past and an intriguing culture.
Sights of Russia:: Onion domes, Stalinist tower blocks, Putin merchandise, extravagant palaces
Tastes of Russia:: Potatoes, Meat skewers, Pork stroganoff, pancakes, borsch, chicken pie, apple pie, McDonalds, Dunkin' Donuts.
Weather of Russia:: Pretty damn cold. It's the crisp Siberian cool that (arguably) meant Napoleon and Hitler both failed. I can survive in anything London throws at me now. -7 celsius was pretty cold.
Sounds of Russia:: the mellifluous Russian accent, the rush of the Metro trains, the cold Siberian winds
Russia Travel Essentials: Russian Phrasebook or app, thermals and many wooly jumpers, camera/phone, some Russian rubles for little gifts, snowproof shoes (I wore pair of ankle biker boots and they were perfect!), hat/scarf/gloves, enthusiasm, interest and low expectations for public toilets.
Russia buys: SKA team beanie, CCCP shirt, Russian Doll, Postcards from the Hermitage, Putin Chocolate, Russian Christmas Tree Decoration, Russian Folk Song CD.
Also, Merry Christmas all! I'm hope everyone's having a nice rest and looking forward to 2015!
Tastes of Russia:: Potatoes, Meat skewers, Pork stroganoff, pancakes, borsch, chicken pie, apple pie, McDonalds, Dunkin' Donuts.
Weather of Russia:: Pretty damn cold. It's the crisp Siberian cool that (arguably) meant Napoleon and Hitler both failed. I can survive in anything London throws at me now. -7 celsius was pretty cold.
Sounds of Russia:: the mellifluous Russian accent, the rush of the Metro trains, the cold Siberian winds
Russia Travel Essentials: Russian Phrasebook or app, thermals and many wooly jumpers, camera/phone, some Russian rubles for little gifts, snowproof shoes (I wore pair of ankle biker boots and they were perfect!), hat/scarf/gloves, enthusiasm, interest and low expectations for public toilets.
Russia buys: SKA team beanie, CCCP shirt, Russian Doll, Postcards from the Hermitage, Putin Chocolate, Russian Christmas Tree Decoration, Russian Folk Song CD.
Also, Merry Christmas all! I'm hope everyone's having a nice rest and looking forward to 2015!