Our Russian Revelation – The Finale

So what did we think of Russia?

Russia has definitely been a revelation! We haven’t seen any reference to the centenary of the revolution, although nostalgia for certain aspects of Soviet life in the themed restaurants and museums of memorabilia does seem in fashion.

There has been more promotion for the football World Cup next year … but maybe that’s how it should be … looking to the future.

Most intersections have traffic and pedestrian lights, both with a countdown so you know how long you have to wait and how long to go and the little green man starts running as your time runs out … and we joked that these were rushin’ Russians! The pace of life, became slower once we left Moscow and we had expected to find everything a little more difficult away from the two main tourist destinations but if anything, we found more people ready to help and friendly.

Just returning to the matter of registering our visa, we never found out if the receptionist in Moscow actually got a registration from our previous hotel, but he didn’t provide us with one when we left and we had managed for the first 10 days and 4 accommodations without it being an issue. From then on, we were presented with a slip in Vladimir as we left, and in Suzdal when we checked in ‘in case we were stopped by a policeman’ but we never saw one, let alone got stopped. So the way it is meant to work is that you get one from each place you stay and hand it on to the next, but while several places have provided us with one, only 2 places asked for our previous one …!  Apparently the system is being suspended for the World Cup, so maybe they won’t reinstate it.

Here are just a few quirky things we’ve noticed … only in Russia:

Charging your electric scooter in a restaurant

Luggage ramps on steps almost everywhere

Being charged for an ice cream cone by weight

Receiving a receipt for paying to use a public toilet

Being offered a valet stand for your jacket in a restaurant

Having a price list for damages in hotel rooms

There is no doubt that St Petersburg and Moscow were the must see destinations, but we feel we had a rounder experience by visiting the other places too.

The palaces and churches have certainly lived up to expectation, and the metro architecture was amazing, but it is the food that has exceeded in every respect. The quality of ingredients, everything being prepared to order and the care taken is obvious pretty much everywhere we’ve eaten.

Chris had a step counter running on his phone and we were amazed to find we’ve been clocking up about 40 miles a week, so hopefully we’ve had enough exercise to work off the dumplings and pies. Some flights of stairs even have calorie counters so you know it’s doing you good!

And so many domes, mainly gold ones …

… and blue ones with golden stars …

… but also wooden ones …

… and some green ones and multi-coloured ones!

And finally, our favourite eggs …

Just to end, putting our travels on WordPress was a bit of an experiment this trip, and all has gone smoothly, so we are pleased to have found a new home and hope you will join us next time we go Off Travelling Together.