Chances are that Moscow hasn’t come up on your list of student holiday hotspots. When Moscow comes up on TV, the images portrayed are dark, cold, miserable and associated with Communism. These assumptions are absolutely normal; for over forty years the western media portrayed the Soviet bloc as being a dangerous threat. However, automatically associating Moscow with all these negative images is like associating America with fat people and London with cockneys. They are old typecasts that are slowly losing their basis in reality. Shed the stereotypes and read on to discover why Moscow should be your next holiday location.

It’s different.

From the moment you step off the plane at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport you are thrown into a different world. Leaving the UK, you handed your passport over to a smiling British customs officer in a suit and tie. Here you hand over your passport to a member of the Russian army; the likes of whom you will have undoubtedly seen in numerous James Bond films. The piercing gaze and cold demeanour of the soldiers would send shivers down the spine of the most hardened criminal. Only upon passing through this checkpoint does the excitement of being in mother Russia finally settle in.

Depending on your hotel of choice you will be presented with a few shocking sights. Upon arriving at my accommodation I got the impression that I was walking into a failed Las Vegas hotel. The vast foyer was home to a selection of restaurants, casinos and women plastered in make-up, wearing fur and offering their services for “the best price in Russia”. The basement housed a bowling alley, gift shop and strip club. The hotel is Moscow’s Cosmos and one of the biggest in the city.

It’s cheap.

For the most part, that is. Moscow has one of the biggest divisions between rich and poor. Your wallet will be subjected to both the ridiculously cheap and ludicrously expensive ends of the monetary scale. However, unless you are looking to buy Prada, Gucci or Versace, the majority of purchases you make can be negotiated on and are relatively cheap. There are a wide variety of markets throughout the city, selling anything from statues of Lenin to warm Blini (Russian pancakes). Competent and fearless bartering will save you roubles on food and souvenirs in the long run.

The Food.

To say it’s different from western cuisine would be a vast understatement. You do see some similarities in the form of Blini, which are very similar to French crepes. But Blini are where the similarities start and end.  As Moscow spends the majority of its year in temperatures that range from cold to sub-zero, the Russian diet revolves around warm, carbohydrate-loaded food. Almost every meal will include pancakes, rice, boiled eggs, potatoes and assorted meats. You will also find several BlinDonalds, Russia’s very own answer to McDonalds. This fast food restaurant combines western food with Russian and Asian food that provides your palate with a combination of textures and flavours. The quality of food as well as the cheap price will make you wonder why McDonalds isn’t this good. Ten pounds feeds five people so well no one will have to eat for the rest of the day.

Since the fall of Communism Moscow has opened its doors to western markets. As a result you’re never far away from the two golden arches of McDonalds or a Hard Rock Cafe. Moscow’s very own Hard Rock is now in its fifth year of business and the second biggest Hard Rock in Europe. It boasts a collection of guitars and memorabilia from world-renowned artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Elton John and Ozzy Osbourne.

The History. 

Everywhere you walk reminds you of the country’s Communist past; the Soviet Exhibition Park, featuring the two steel workers holding the hammer and sickle is just one example. Every station of the Moscow metro features some form of statue, mural, or engraving depicting a part of the Soviet rule.
The Novodevichy Cemetery is a must for musicians, artists, classics readers and historians alike. Featuring over 27,000 graves, this cemetery holds some of Russia’s most famous (and infamous) people. For the artistic the gravesite alone will be of great interest, holding some of the most beautiful headstones, sculptures and statues ever created on Earth. The graves of Rubinstein and Shostakovich are a definite must see for any musician well schooled in classical composers. For the classics reader, Chekov is also buried here underneath a gilded headstone. Those disgruntled drama students who have been forced to read his work may have other reasons for wanting to visit his grave. Historically speaking, this graveyard is a gold mine: it contains Khrushchev, Yeltsin and Stalin’s wife – Nadezhda Alliluyeva – amongst countless other big names.

There are of course numerous museums in and around Moscow, the Contemporary History Museum and the Armoury is not to be missed. The students’ favourite museum in the world also lies in Moscow – the Vodka Museum. In this museum, you are shown the history of vodka, how it is made, and what is considered the perfect strength. An additional rouble or two lets you into a tasting session. During this short session you are shown how to smell, taste and appreciate the different styles. It is here that they teach you that vodka is not for downing in shots or mixing in cocktails. Instead, it is to be appreciated like a mature wine or whisky. After having sampled some of the world’s best and most expensive vodka, the shop located at the exit allows you to purchase all the vodka you can stomach. The selection here is vast and cheap compared to the vodka available in the UK – even cheaper than Sainsbury’s own. The bottles here are also highly imaginative. You can purchase vodka in a bottle that looks like a Russian doll (Matroshka) or even a Kalashnikov.

Red Square, or more specifically Lenin’s tomb is unmissable. Disgustingly enough, the Russian people decided to enlist the services of Russia’s number one embalming family to make sure their glorious, god-like leader remained immortalised forever.  As a result of this, Lenin’s tomb, which is located in the heart of Red Square and in front of the walls of the Kremlin, contains the open casket of one of history’s most famous leaders for the entire world to see. Up until the early Sixties, Stalin lay adjacent to Lenin. However, when the anti-Stalinist government under Khrushchev came in, Stalin’s remains were interred under the walls of the Kremlin.

The Nightlife.

The nightlife in Moscow varies. If you have vast sums of money, the possibilities are endless. A night out in a club in Moscow can get you more drunk than the wildest fresher thought possible. Money can’t buy entry to some of the clubs; they’re simply for the elite.

If you do manage to get in, you are guaranteed to mingle with oligarchs, politicians, celebrities and scantily clad women. The menus will undoubtedly include caviar and bottles of champagne that cost more than half of your student loan. Head for the elite clubs first but if all fails, you will still have a brilliant night. ‘Bunker’ and other cheaper clubs are open around the clock. ‘Grezy’ has a policy of staying open until the last guest leaves. As such it is more of a 24/7 bar.

The ballet is a cheaper option still. You will be surprised how many stunned looks I get from people when I mention I’ve been to see Swan Lake in the Kremlin – it’s like saying you have seen a show in the White House. No special governmental permit is required, it is open for all. The ballet itself was terrific. What struck me most was hearing a full orchestra performing no more than five metres away. After listening to that musical performance I must say I’ve now been opened up to wider genres of music.

If the promises of new experiences aren’t enough to make you want to pack, then tap into your inner Young One. A large part of being a student involves scouring the liquor shelves of supermarkets desperately trying to find that one bottle which will start a night as cheaply as possible. Student life also involves having as much fun as you can, travelling (as it’s what the world expects you to do), and pretending to be cultured (because you once stumbled into a History of Arts lecture).

There is only one place in the world that can tick all of those student requirements; a place where all vodka is cheap and drinking anything less than a straight shot is an offence – Russia.

Moscow contains some of the cheapest and best vodka known to man. If cemeteries are too unrevealing for your tastes, Moscow offers you an 84 year-old corpse on display. Forget McDonalds and Sainsbury’s basics, head to BlinDonalds and Russian boutiques selling Kalashnikov-shaped bottles of vodka. Leave the EU and the western world behind – and go east!

Tags: moscow, Travel, vodka

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 14:10 and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.