Monday, Oct 18, 1999
Moscow Magic
Ruchi Chopra
Ruchi Chopra is a class XI student at Kendriya Vidyala, Moscow. In addition to creative writing she is also interested in traveling and Music. This is the concluding part of a two part series on Moscow as a possible travel destination. |
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Theatre and Ballet
The world famous Bolshoi theatre often requires a booking at least a month in advance. Though due to troubled times one could find some one trading tickets for a few dollars more. Bolshoi has been a host to the ballets like 'Swan lake', 'The Nutcracker' and 'Don Quixote'. The Kremlin theatre, Tchaikovsky concert hall are the other important landmarks among scores of theatres and concert halls.
Culinary Delights
The Russians are always longing for the summer, that wonderful warmth, gentle breeze, sunlight playing on the ground. Amidst this if one was to sit on a table laden with fine food and an excellent glass of wine, looking out of a summer verandah, perhaps that will be ultimate happiness. A number of Moscow restaurants offer such a setting. One can get anything from the Uzbek plov or lamb shashlik to a Russian staple pelmeni or krucheniki (Ukranian style fish dish), from the Austrian Goulash soup to the Italian smoked salmon or a grilled Sturgeon. Not to forget the famous black caviar warmed by a solid Cossack cocktail. The world over landmarks Tandoor and Maharaja restaurants are here too, for those who insist in being Desi even in Swadesh.
Night life
Till a year back, Moscow had over 300 night clubs/casinos. Some say these were the fronts for the Mafia to swap their black money. Even after the collapse of the Rouble last August, every street continues to be punctuated with these night dens. Whether it is the Dolls or Planet Hollywood, Night Flight or Hippopotam, they all are doing good business. Security is tight and the cover charges are in the region of 20 to 50 $. One has to just watch out because the girls are really pretty.
Shopping The troubled times has resulted in the common man coming to the streets and selling little household treasures at throw away prices. The Ismayloski Park is one such place where foreigners hunt for bargains. Many an antics get sold every day to feed a desperate family. Russian Amber, the Ghzel blue pottery, hand cut crystal, the Russian Matroshka doll sets, Khakhaloma painted artifacts etc are typical Russian souvenirs, and are available in stores all over the town. A stroll through the pet market, the Ptichii Rynok(open market), could fetch you anything from a Staffordshire terrier to meowing cat.
Moscow is a city whose every stone exudes history, a city in which it is impossible to separate space from time, a personality from an event, or a split second from eternity. It is a city woven from that harsh thread of history, whose intersections connect the fate of Russia with the history of this city, its layout, its architecture, its monuments, and its cultural and social structures and venues. Every building not only looks historic but also has history and as someone said, the whole city is like a great outdoor museum.
Inflation in Russia
Socialism collapsed with such abruptness that an orderly transition to free market economy was impossible. High inflation has resulted in extreme hardship to ordinary people.
Tail Piece
The city is punctuated with wonderfully scenic parks and birch forests. There are Soviet built resorts and rest and recuperation centers in every suburb of the city. Literacy is 100 %. Notwithstanding the hardships being faced by common people, there are more US Dollars in public hands in Moscow than in New York (no one puts them in the bank). Every 200 meters one can find an exchange counter. So this is a city rich in many ways.
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