A SWISS GIRL IN MOSCOW

Moscow in one word : huge ! it’s so big, that it has to be seen to believe it. Paris and London are nothing compare to Moscow. It seemed even bigger than Mexico City, even if according to the statistics it is not.

The arrival was a real choc. The persons that were supposed to welcome me at the airport were late and I was really starting to freak out. In the airport, there were showing a funny French movie (TAXI 3), which I haven’t seen by the way, but in Russian. However, it is not the kind of film that needs big understanding. I was standing alone with my luggage, and for those who don’t know me, I never travel light. ( It’s really annoying that only 20kg is admitted, but at least I can carry my luggage on my own and I don’t need superman with me). While I was waiting, taxi drivers kept asking me: TAXI?, I was glad that this word is the same in Russian than other languages. I told to myself, if only I knew where to go, I could take a taxi to get me there. Happily I knew NIET, so at least I made myself understood. As time went by and taxi drivers kept asking, my NIET became stronger.
It was so weird to be in a country where I couldn’t understand any word. I went to different places, but I could always speak the language. I wanted to speak, but the words kept coming in Spanish. (my last foreign language I learnt).

Then Lina and Katja, the person who were supposed to welcome finally came and brought me some traditional cookies and a balloon. We crossed the whole Moscow, which took us more than 3 hours, ( I cross my country in 4 hours and there is about 7 millions inhabitants and my hometown has 120’000.) On a map, we went from the bottom right to the top left. After taking one bus, two metros and an other bus, I arrived at the place I was supposed to stay. I arrived in a family very charming who welcomed me warmly. They have a really nice flat even if from the outside it looked as if it had been build during the 60’s. During my first weeks I lived with this family. Everything was great except the fact that they lived far away from the centre and it took me more than an hour to go to work. However it was a really great experience and I had the opportunity to taste home made Russian cooking, and unexpectedly I barely ate cabbage and potatoes, which I was grateful for, because I am absolutely not fond of those dishes. I was surprised that it was the season of watermelon. One thing is for sure: Russian love mayonnaise, they put it everywhere, even with pilmenis ( kind of raviolis). They have a different taste than the French one, less developed. One other thing that chocked me is that they can eat ice cream throughout the day and even if it’s freezing. Also they don’t have a special time to eat like in Switzerland. Restaurants at whatever time you go and eat are full, in Switzerland if it’s outside the usual hours, it’s almost empty or worse, the kitchen is closed. As a Swiss citizen, I was taken from my pride when I discovered that Russian have really good black chocolate, almost as good as Swiss one. ( no kidding!!)

My first week end, I went to red square, Alexander Garden, the cathedral of Jesus Christ the Saviour, Arbat and other places I can’t remember. I was stroked that Russian woman are always in high heels and pointed shoes. (I understood where this fashion was coming from while I visited the Armoury Palace (museum with the clothes of the Tsars), there are high heels, pointed shoes.) I know that it’s fashionable all around the world, but it’s really exaggerated in Russia.
To eat, at 5h30, (corresponds to no time for eating in Switzerland: too late for lunch, too late for snack and too early for dinner), they took me to Mu-Mu. A russian (some would argue with this as we can find pineapple-chicken salad) cheap restaurant. I can tell you that the logo must have been designed by a Swiss as it is a black and white cow. Moreover the plates are the same than the one found in Switzerland and sold for tourists. I tasted my first borch: it’s very tasty!!

Second week end, I discovered a bit Moscow by night. I stayed over at other trainee’s flat and I loved the flat straight away. Almost downtown, at Bieloruskaya, close from 3 metro stations. I learn that one of the trainee is about to live and that till there no one to take her place. And guess who’s living now in this flat?? Me!!!!! On Sunday afternoon, the other trainees and I went to Tsaritsina, a summer residence built for Catherine the Great, but she refused it just before it was finished. What a capricious girl!!!

My third week end, we went to Saint Petersburg. 9hours by train for 20€ both ways with a couchette. Train is comfortable enough to have a good night sleep and arrive fresh in St Petersburg. In the train station, it stinks really bad diesel.

In St Petersburg, it is a lot easier to get around than in Moscow. Moscow is built like a snail, ( like Paris), but in St pete, there is only one big street ( Nevski Prosket) and the town is built in square. Even though the distances are still big, at least they are human, we can cross downtown by foot. St pete is nicer than Moscow, more old houses, nice cafés, people are nicer and in general, prices are cheaper than Moscow. On the other hand, we can less feel this energy, this life, this movement. One can see that the town is more student than Moscow. There is a big adversity between the two cities and usually people from St Petersburg don’t like very much the people from Moscow. I think that St Petersburg must be really beautiful in autumn and Summer and somehow magic covered with snow (for the courageous). The weather feels colder than in Moscow, because of the river and the sea, it brings humidity and wind. When we were there, we still had the colours of autumn but also the cold of winter. In two days, I didn’t have much time to do a lot of sightseeing a lot, but still manage to see the cathedral, the hermitage and peterhof as well as to discover some night life. The hermitage is a very interested and magic museum. My favourite part is the rooms of the ancient palace with the objects, rooms of the ancient tsars. In the other rooms, there is everything we want, Asian Art, Spanish, Dutch, French,…, but what makes the Hermitage so special are the ceilings and the floors!

The last day, we were supposed to go to the closing ceremonies of Peterhof ( a palace build by Peter the great with Versailles as a model) but we were late and I only managed to see the fountains for 5 seconds. The fountains are the most spectacular thing in Peterhof and also makes it so famous. I learned that during World War 2, the German occupied the place and that before leaving the exploded the palace. The restoration lasted years and there are still rooms which are half done, but we don’t know the reason why. In any case, the castle is gorgeous and we were the only one in the castle which was perfect to play with the perspective in the mirrors. In peterhof, one can notice the influence from Europe and from Asia which makes the charm of Russia.

For night life in St Petersburg, there are less places than in Moscow to go, but the choice is very big and very friendly. There is even a pub for Beatles fan where the walls are decorated with Beatles pictures and some of their objects and they play live Beatles song every night.

The more I discover Moscow, the more I love this city so full of life and energy. There are no rush hours in Moscow. For me there are rush hours and rush rush rush hours when we need to wait 10min to take the escalators. In the queue, Russians should take lessons with English, because they push and are not polite at all. The crowd moves you, you don’t need to do it. It is said that Paris is city which never sleeps, well go and see Moscow. I have never seen neither the roads, nor the subway empty.

At the beginning I was always really tired, exhausted just by looking at the crowd move; I was a spectator from what was happening. But now, I’m part of it and I love it. We can feel that this country is still in the building process, that no one knows where it’s going, that everything can collapse from one day to another, like in 1998.


One thing absolutely gorgeous in Moscow is its subway: it’s like a museum. Each station is different: one look like a church, an other full of sculpture soviet style, some have mosaiques. Their subway is also always on time, I never heard an announcement that it will be delayed, that there is a breakdown. Well on this, Paris and London have definitely a lot to learn from Moscow. One thing I have noticed among Russians is that they don’t realize how beautiful their country is and the same with their subway. They have a lot to offer to the world but they don’t know it.

Russians at first are really impolite and rude. They don’t hold the doors in the subway, and the doors are really heavy. Usually when an person has difficulty to walk or is blind, I have seen that only old people would go and help the person. Most of them don’t have any patience at all with foreigners. If I don’t understand something, people would just repeat it louder until they get that I don’t understand it. It always seems that we bother them when asking for directions or an advice. Of course, there are always exceptions and I’m glad that I found some which would break my stereotypes. I have an extradorinay experience with my landlord. Once I broke the lock on Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening by the time I went back, the lock was changed. I thought that if only all landlords were like him, the world would definitely be a better place. But once you get to know them, they are really warm and helpful people.

One of the saddest thing in Moscow is to see that all the beggars are old people. Stupid jobs such as handing out leaflets, sandwichmen, jobs that I would consider to be done by students and young people in other countries are usually done by old people. One evening there was an old woman playing balalaika and singing, but it seems as if she was crying. It tore my heart apart, I thought I was going to burst out into tears in the middle of the roads.

It’s really weird not to speak the language, I feel so stupid when I cannot communicate, especially when I go shopping: I point out to things and say DA and NIET ( yes and no)or NAPRAVA, NALEVA.( right, left). The word I hate when I go shopping for milk or butter or whatever is KAKOI, ( which one), because I don’t care which one.

Small funny story: once I wanted to bake bread and I asked my friends how to say some ingredients in Russian. I needed flour, but my friend understood flower. You can imagine the face of the seller when I said flower instead of flour. I couldn’t understand why they were looking at me so weird, flour is a first necessity product and supposed to be find anywhere. There is a happy end: when walking down the streets I saw a small shops and saw some flour, recognise the package and bought some. I will probably remember how to say flour for ever.

Russians love flowers. I have never seen such a concentration of flower shops. The first day I arrived, I thought it was a special day, because there was a lot of men with flowers. It’s probably the easiest thing to find in Moscow, you have shops open 24h. The saleswoman reads a book, dressed with a winter jacket, hats and gloves! Between my house and the subway (7min walk), there are 16 flower shops. On the street (small caravans) we can also find anything, juice, cheese, ham, rice, pasta and griestshka) In Russia, shops don’t pay attention whether it’s week day, Saturday, Sunday or a Holliday, it’s usually open until 20h or 21h. One can see weird things on the streets, people cleaning the teeth with a toothpick, salesperson screaming on the phone instead of attending you.

One of the basic ingredients for poor Russians is grietchka. It replaces rice, but a lot healthier. With Ryan my flatmate, we can miss from everything, paper toilet, water, tea but never never grietschka. I eat it with everything, as a cereal with milk and raisin for breakfast, or in the evening with vegetables and eggs. It’s really easy, delicious and ideal for diet!!

One more thing about Russia that no one understands. How can we have such beautiful women and men so ugly. I have never seen such a concentration of gorgeous women than in Russia. But like one of friend says: “Russian women are probably the unluckiest women in the world and Russian men the luckiest.” :)