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Travel journal #7: Moscow, Russia

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  I was told, on a recent TDY trip to Moscow, Russia, that you can't rent a car in Russia and drive it yourself - if you manage to hire one, you have to hire the driver as well.

Having been there, I'd say that was very good news, because before I heard that, I was going to advise you - never ever, EVER attempt to drive in Russia!

Apart from the scary traffic, however, there are lots of good things to see in Moscow, and even without a car, it's pretty easy to get around.

You can either get a cab - though it's advisable to check if it's licensed first - or you can take the metro (similar to the tube in London), which is a much cheaper way to get around.

If you decide to take a taxi, make sure to agree on a price before getting into it - it's not uncommon for the drivers to attempt to charge extortionate prices.

When a couple of Americans and I attempted to get a cab from Red Square to our hotel near the Moscow River, the first driver wanted 1,000 rubles per person (that's about 20 pounds or $40 each)! When we walked off, the driver called us back (well, sort of shouted at us in Russian). Luckily, we had a Russian/American guy with us, so he could interpret.

The first driver pointed at another taxi driver, who said he'd take us back for 500 rubles total. Deal done, we jumped in the cab and were at the hotel in less than 10 minutes.

Red Square at night is beautiful.

Entering through Resurrection Gate, you immediately see the multi-colored domes of St. Basil's Cathedral at the opposite end of the square. It was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to celebrate the capture of the Mongol stronghold of Kazan in 1552. The cathedral was completed in 1561 and, according to a Moscow guidebook, was reportedly designed by architect Postnik Yakovlev.

According to legend, Ivan was so amazed at the beauty of Yakovlev's work that he had him blinded, so he would never be able to design anything as exquisite again.
The church was officially called the Cathedral of the Intercession because the final siege of Kazan began on the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin. However, it's usually known as St. Basil's, after the "holy fool" Basil the Blessed, whose remains are interred within.

At the opposite end of Red Square is the Historical Museum. Also making up Red Square is the Lenin Mausoleum, housing Lenin's embalmed body, and Gosudarstvennyy universalnyy magazine (known as GUM) - Russia's largest department store - which is a mass of twinkling lights at night.

The Bolshoi Theatre, home to the Bolshoi Ballet, is also located near Red Square, as is the KGB headquarters.

When shopping for souvenirs, there are two places to go - Arbat Street, Old Arbat, which is lined with antique shops, boutiques, souvenir stalls, cafés and restaurants, and Izmaylovo Market (which is only open Saturdays and Sundays.)

Wherever you shop (markets and souvenir stores, not department stores) you are expected to barter. Stallholders tell you a high price, then you tell them you'll only pay a much smaller amount, and you agree somewhere in the middle - everyone's happy.

Heading into Izmaylovo Market, you'll be approached by stallholders who aren't part of the official market trying to get you to buy their wares. However, it's best if you don't buy anything until you enter the official market. It costs 20 rubles to get in, but that's not even 50 cents, so it's well worth it.

Once inside, you're faced with long rows upon rows of stalls, laden with items such as Matryoshka dolls, chess sets, Soviet memorabilia, Russian hats (fake and real fur), hand-painted items, shawls and much more. It's very easy to spend several hours there, just wandering around, before you stop for lunch at one of the many food stalls.

Getting around, it's easiest to ride the Metro. The majority of stations in Moscow are very beautiful. The station next to my hotel was apparently featured in the movie, "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Tickets for the metro are ridiculously cheap, and they are priced by the number of stops - not the number of stations or zones - so you could go from one side of Moscow to the other, for less than 20 rubles.

However, be warned - as the station names are only in Russian (and the Russian alphabet has more letters than ours, and half the letters are back-to-front and upside down ... ), make sure you figure out exactly which station you need to get off at, and write down the complete name of it.

I caught a Metro train with someone I was there working with after we'd been on a trip on the Moscow River. We memorized the first few letters of the station we thought was beside our hotel. When we got off at our "destination," we didn't recognize a single thing. It turns out we'd gone the wrong way around the Metro line and gotten off on the opposite side.

Luckily we got back on the Metro, figured out where we should have gone in the first place and made it back our correct stop.

A trip on the Moscow River, is also a good experience, and you are able to go up past Red Square before the boat goes back. You do have to pay a separate fare each way - you can't buy a return ticket. You can, however, get off at any of the stops, and get back on at any of the stops. The fare is 300 rubles (about 6 pounds or $12) each way.

If you want to buy vodka, it's best to go to a supermarket as it is much cheaper than in the duty-free/specialist vodka shops and there is still a huge variety of vodkas to choose from.

Visiting Moscow was certainly a different - but enjoyable - experience. However, you should be aware that it isn't somewhere you can decide to visit on the spur of the moment, and just jump on a plane and go.

Visas are required before you can enter Russia, and they are not easy to get. You must fill out an application form from the Russian Embassy in London, whatever nationality you are. The embassy only accepts electronically filled out, hard-copies of the application form, and often kicks them back, which means another journey to London.

You can't make an appointment, but must turn up and wait in line outside the embassy (11:45 a.m. is the latest time they will let anyone in) and must ensure you have all relevant paperwork beforehand.

Letters of invitation are required (these can be provided by your hotel if you only require a tourist visa, or by the company you are working for if you require a business visa), along with passport photos, passport and visa fee.

To get your completed visa, you can either provide a special delivery envelope (costs 7.50 pounds) and your visa will be send to you within seven days, or you can pick it up the same day. However, you should be aware that you can't wait at the embassy to get your visa - the embassy closes at noon and then reopens for visa collection between 4 and 5 p.m. 

For more information on getting a visa, visit http://www.rusemblon.org.