The City that follows you.
Captains Log Day 5 – 18/07/2018 2:57 pm. Aeroflot SU2694.
The view from the flight over the city of Moscow reflected the enormity of its plains. The planned serpent like paths circling towards the center of the city were visible from 30,000 feet as we descended towards the country’s capital. We had arrived not only to make our mark on the city, but etch our memories by being in the city of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals.
The vodka hangover was slowly fading when the Captain and General emerged from the vessel onto the tarmac, instantly the humidity and the heat more intense than the place they had just departed. Commander Ollie had left his heart in Saint Petersburg and decided that he would not join us for the festivities in the host city.
With a very tight timeframe, we rushed from the airport to get to our accommodation. We had to be swift, since the city was large and the Finals were only a few hours away. In the long uber ride, we could already start noticing the differences in the city scape.An hour after we had arrived we finally reached our accommodation, here we checked in, dumped our bags and rushed out like a well organised football counter attack. Although we did not have tickets to the finals the plan was to go and watch the game in the Fan Fest area which was located near the stadium. Jumping on the packed train with barely any room to move, we soon realized that a lot of people seemed to have the same idea. As we got closer to the stadium the number of people increased incrementally. It was sheer madness. Disembarking the train was a struggle, the crowds only comparable to New Year’s Eve in Times Square New York, although possessed by the event that was to start in a few minutes. Singing, dancing and drinking the mass crowd marched on towards the fan zone until a backlog of people appeared. Here people started cutting across the parks, the forest like vegetation to beat the bottleneck. The Captain and General followed these masses as they improvised. Trying not to lose each other they got to a gate which was closed with security members indicating that the Fan Zone was full. The crowd not accepting this, started to jump the fences and rush towards the location, we joined them. We were now part of the Mob. In Russia, Part of a Mob, Chanting, Marching, just as things were starting to get stereotypical, the armed forces decided to pull out the batons and started shouting in Russian. Our rebellion was short lived – at the risk of getting battered we had to face the fact that the fan zone was full. Disappointment sinking in as well as the match getting closer to kick-off we were frazzled at what to do, thousands of other supporters were also in the same boat. We commenced walking back to the Train station, hoping to find a bar in which we could watch it, but from the looks of it there was nothing as far as could be seen. It was here along the walk we met a fellow Australian, Officer Nick. He was from Sydney and joined the Captain and General in a search for a bar. As we walked we noticed a large crowd circled around something, walking over we discovered it was a small TV with hundreds of people gathered around it watching. The madness was everywhere and the match had started Walking along we came up with a quick solution, between the Captain, General and Officer we will grab a cab and head to the closest bar that could accommodate us. After waiting about 10 minutes, we finally were able to stop a taxi that agreed to take us. We explained our urgency and the situation and this guy was off like a Russian rocket ship, flying down the streets at 120KM per hour in order to get us to a place we could watch the game. Fearing for our lives and missing the first goal our anxiety grew. He sharply braked in front of an enormous castle looking structure, we had arrived at our destination the Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow. Rushing to a bar without noticing the multiple Lamborghinis, Maybach’s and Brabus cars parked outside we entered a fairly fancy looking restaurant. Being the rowdiest people there we did our Country proud, yelling whilst nursing a beer and a sheesha. The match ending with the underdogs losing and a hefty bill, we bid Officer Nick goodbye, exchanged details and headed in our own direction.The torrential storm that was going on broke and the General and Captain thought that even though the walk to their accommodation was one hour, they would walk down and see some of the city. leaving the huge iconic Radisson hotel and crossing the giant bridge they noticed that the side walks did not have many people crossing them, one or two here or there but not more than what can be counted on your hands. On the road however, it looked like there was a type of traffic jam, cars backed up as far as the eye could see, with none moving. They walked along until they reached the end of the bridge and it was here that they noticed that there was a police blockade set up, halting all the traffic. It was then that the General pointed towards the horizon, there was a glimmering of red and blue lights, as we waited this eventuated into a convoy of police cars, which grew and grew. We counted six police cars then a tinted limousine, followed by another six police cars. The Captain deciding to videotape the encounter, slowly pulled his phone out, to which from nowhere a large built man in casual cloths yelled ‘NO’ he then looked away and slightly flashed out a badge muttering something in Russian. Shocked we both stood there, the convoy sped fast, the Captain then asked the man ‘who was that?’ to which he responded something in Russian pointing us go, as he walked away. The General and Captain still in awe and were convinced they were only 100 meters away from Vladimir Putin as he drove past in an unmarked limousine. After about 10 minutes the traffic commenced.After a quick rest, and a shower they headed out to explore again. The streets were packed, all the bars were full of people celebrating the end of the world cup. French and Croation colors everywhere, Russian chants going on – it was a huge party and this country deserved it. After a phenomenal world cup they could now let their hair down – the FIFA 2018 world cup was over. The strip had now started resembling a club, people dancing drinking, we walked up and down for hours trying to soak it all in. The flame was to be passed and the party would be on hold for another 4 years. It had been a long day, we finally let our body overcome our minds and the Captain and General headed back to rest up, stopping at a late night American diner for some munchies which was accompanied by terrible service (a noticeable trend in restaurants that we visited in Moscow particularly).
The vodka hangover was slowly fading when the Captain and General emerged from the vessel onto the tarmac, instantly the humidity and the heat more intense than the place they had just departed. Commander Ollie had left his heart in Saint Petersburg and decided that he would not join us for the festivities in the host city.
With a very tight timeframe, we rushed from the airport to get to our accommodation. We had to be swift, since the city was large and the Finals were only a few hours away. In the long uber ride, we could already start noticing the differences in the city scape.An hour after we had arrived we finally reached our accommodation, here we checked in, dumped our bags and rushed out like a well organised football counter attack. Although we did not have tickets to the finals the plan was to go and watch the game in the Fan Fest area which was located near the stadium. Jumping on the packed train with barely any room to move, we soon realized that a lot of people seemed to have the same idea. As we got closer to the stadium the number of people increased incrementally. It was sheer madness. Disembarking the train was a struggle, the crowds only comparable to New Year’s Eve in Times Square New York, although possessed by the event that was to start in a few minutes. Singing, dancing and drinking the mass crowd marched on towards the fan zone until a backlog of people appeared. Here people started cutting across the parks, the forest like vegetation to beat the bottleneck. The Captain and General followed these masses as they improvised. Trying not to lose each other they got to a gate which was closed with security members indicating that the Fan Zone was full. The crowd not accepting this, started to jump the fences and rush towards the location, we joined them. We were now part of the Mob. In Russia, Part of a Mob, Chanting, Marching, just as things were starting to get stereotypical, the armed forces decided to pull out the batons and started shouting in Russian. Our rebellion was short lived – at the risk of getting battered we had to face the fact that the fan zone was full. Disappointment sinking in as well as the match getting closer to kick-off we were frazzled at what to do, thousands of other supporters were also in the same boat. We commenced walking back to the Train station, hoping to find a bar in which we could watch it, but from the looks of it there was nothing as far as could be seen. It was here along the walk we met a fellow Australian, Officer Nick. He was from Sydney and joined the Captain and General in a search for a bar. As we walked we noticed a large crowd circled around something, walking over we discovered it was a small TV with hundreds of people gathered around it watching. The madness was everywhere and the match had started Walking along we came up with a quick solution, between the Captain, General and Officer we will grab a cab and head to the closest bar that could accommodate us. After waiting about 10 minutes, we finally were able to stop a taxi that agreed to take us. We explained our urgency and the situation and this guy was off like a Russian rocket ship, flying down the streets at 120KM per hour in order to get us to a place we could watch the game. Fearing for our lives and missing the first goal our anxiety grew. He sharply braked in front of an enormous castle looking structure, we had arrived at our destination the Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow. Rushing to a bar without noticing the multiple Lamborghinis, Maybach’s and Brabus cars parked outside we entered a fairly fancy looking restaurant. Being the rowdiest people there we did our Country proud, yelling whilst nursing a beer and a sheesha. The match ending with the underdogs losing and a hefty bill, we bid Officer Nick goodbye, exchanged details and headed in our own direction.The torrential storm that was going on broke and the General and Captain thought that even though the walk to their accommodation was one hour, they would walk down and see some of the city. leaving the huge iconic Radisson hotel and crossing the giant bridge they noticed that the side walks did not have many people crossing them, one or two here or there but not more than what can be counted on your hands. On the road however, it looked like there was a type of traffic jam, cars backed up as far as the eye could see, with none moving. They walked along until they reached the end of the bridge and it was here that they noticed that there was a police blockade set up, halting all the traffic. It was then that the General pointed towards the horizon, there was a glimmering of red and blue lights, as we waited this eventuated into a convoy of police cars, which grew and grew. We counted six police cars then a tinted limousine, followed by another six police cars. The Captain deciding to videotape the encounter, slowly pulled his phone out, to which from nowhere a large built man in casual cloths yelled ‘NO’ he then looked away and slightly flashed out a badge muttering something in Russian. Shocked we both stood there, the convoy sped fast, the Captain then asked the man ‘who was that?’ to which he responded something in Russian pointing us go, as he walked away. The General and Captain still in awe and were convinced they were only 100 meters away from Vladimir Putin as he drove past in an unmarked limousine. After about 10 minutes the traffic commenced.After a quick rest, and a shower they headed out to explore again. The streets were packed, all the bars were full of people celebrating the end of the world cup. French and Croation colors everywhere, Russian chants going on – it was a huge party and this country deserved it. After a phenomenal world cup they could now let their hair down – the FIFA 2018 world cup was over. The strip had now started resembling a club, people dancing drinking, we walked up and down for hours trying to soak it all in. The flame was to be passed and the party would be on hold for another 4 years. It had been a long day, we finally let our body overcome our minds and the Captain and General headed back to rest up, stopping at a late night American diner for some munchies which was accompanied by terrible service (a noticeable trend in restaurants that we visited in Moscow particularly).
We woke to the realization that today would be the last full day that we get in Russia and we had not seen the most iconic of things in the city. The Captain finding a city walking tour and booking it was a good kick starter to getting the General out of bed. Energised and with only a few minutes before the tour started we rushed to the meeting spot where about 40 people had gathered for the tour. First up we saw the amazing City metro, with the story about the central circle line – Lenin kept his coffee cup on the Map and the engineers weren’t brave enough to ask if that was intentional or not, they just decided to factor it into their plans. Next up we visited the Moscow gardens slowly heading to the Red Square and then to the most iconic of Russian landmarks and one that the Captain had been looking forward to since deciding to come to the country: the Kremlin. As we walked down from the park in the distance the beautiful domes of St Basil’s Cathedral started to come into sight. St Basils Cathedral is the red domed church that people often misconceive with being the Kremlin. St Basils Cathedral is located in the Red Square which is right next to the Kremlin. The Kremlin means ‘Fortress’ and located in the fortress is the birthplace of Moscow and the Russian Parliament. As we walked along we passed the studio that Lucy and Craig ‘Foss’ Foster were hosting the world cup from. To our surprise the place was already gutted out, with remnants left of its former self. We finally got to St Basils Cathedral, this building was utterly amazing, beautiful in all rights – just a stunning structure. We could not stop and stare, the Captain and General fell behind on the tour as they were fascinated at the structure. We finally caught up and heard the story of how Napoleon wanted to take the cathedral back with him to France, but since he couldn’t manage to figure out how, he ordered his army to destroy it. The Artillery surrounded the monument, and just as they were to fire the cannons, torrential rain stated, blowing out their fuses, leaving them unable to fire for long enough that the reinforcements came. The intense heat was getting the best of all of us when the tour guide announced that we are going to be taking a break for 15 minutes inside the GUM department store. The GUM department store was one of Moscow’s oldest department stores, located right next to the Red Square and inside the Kremlin complex. Here we all took a seat and cooled down with some famous Ice Cream, a great idea before heading to the Red Square.
Boy oh Boy was the red square impressive – a huge cobblestone plain surrounded by watch towers, lookouts and of course the kremlin, here we took some photos and ended the walking tour with some more stories about Russian culture, the Red Army march and the events that took place in the historic square.
Utilizing some of the tips from the walking tour the General and Captain headed to grab some authentic Russian dumplings. The area the Red square was littered with tourist traps, however we found a recommended local hangout in which we were able to experience great Russian hospitality (although very poor service) and grab some local cuisine.
Our bellies full we went and caught up with another comrade we had met on our journey thus far, Comrade Abhi – who we partied with in Saint Petersburg was visting Moscow at the same time. Teeing up in Red square we caught up and took an internal tour of the beautiful St Basil’s. I think all of us felt a bit disappointed, the inside was like any other church with markings and information all listed in Russian. Although at this point I am not sure what we were expecting (Sagrada Familia maybe?). We then headed to the entry of the Kremlin, in which we were able to explore the complex, taking photos of the buildings, the artillery (including a giant cannon) and just stroll around, trying to pick who the undercover cops are as we discussed global politics.
Realising that they were covered in sweat, smelly and a tad bit exhausted the three took a photo with some FIFA memorabilia and headed their separate ways deciding, to go freshen up and meet back later in the day.
A giant laundry session, a shower and lie down later the Captain and General decided to head to meet up with the Comrade at Arabat street. We messaged a meet up point and called an Uber. As we were waiting for the uber on the footpath, a man comes over and throws 2 LARGE bricks at a glass window of the hotel right behind us, the glass does not shatter but there is a loud thud! People inside rush out, but at this point the man picks up the two bricks and crosses the road towards a car, here he takes those two bricks and shatters a cars windscreen! He continues walking. At this point the people inside the hotel behind us run out and start chasing him. We watch for a bit and notice the cracks on the window behind us. Finally, our ride arrives and we leave, our thoughts going ‘What the hell just happened”
Still a little shell shocked, we meet our Comrade, we explain this story as two random girls with Their father walk over to the Captain and request a photo. Both the General and Comrade are confused about why they came only to the Captain. We later realise it was due to the captain’s uniform – a Rick and Morty Tee shirt.
Swigging some Vodka and water that the Comrade had bought we trotted along visiting souvenir shops, doing our best to bargain for FIFA goods. Satisfied with the loot we grab some dinner and lose our shake shack virginity. Devouring our meals in seconds.
We finish up the night heading to the Street next to the Kremlin where the remaining soccer fans are still partying. We join them for a bit and then say our farewell to Comrade Abhi, swearing an oath to meet again in the future.
Marvelling at the Bolshoi theatre we end our Russian adventure and reflect on the amazing country and the epic time we have had.
Dasvidaniya Russia. Spasibo..
