“What’s Russia like?!”
After four months of traveling, surprisingly, the place we visited that people are the most curious about is Russia. People we met while hiking through the Dolomites in Italy asked us; fellow backpackers we met just last week on our day trip to Borobudur Temple in Yogyakarta, Indonesia couldn’t stop asking about it; and friends and family have been endlessly curious.
I must admit, Russia has never been on my bucket list. It’s government policies and human rights track record has made it squarely not even on my radar in recent years.
Walking up to Peterhof Palace is unreal.
But when a close college friend (who is Russian) invited us to her wedding in Moscow, which her and her fiancé had purposefully timed with the World Cup (as two of the biggest football fans I know), we couldn’t miss it. We certainly made the right decision because the wedding was not only beautiful and an amazing celebration with friends, but my mouth is watering just thinking about the caviar there.
This caviar was beyond delectable.
We spent 10 days in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod (the fifth largest city in Russia), and our experiences left me with so many thoughts. I’ll never forget the majestic sight of St. Basil’s Cathedral looming over the Red Square, made even more picturesque with the heavy storm clouds just about to burst overhead. I’ll continue to look back at pictures of the bridges up in St. Petersburg at 2 in the morning with the White Nights keeping the sky from ever falling completely dark. I’ll laugh out loud every time I think about the tourist’s cell phone that started loudly blasting Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” (the ringtone, I presume) in the middle of a historically significant, ornate chapel built in the 1400s in the Moscow Kremlin. And I’ll never stop feeling like I lived through the opening of one of the “Taken” movies in one of our accommodation adventures that will get it’s own dedicated post (you’re welcome).
So, in an attempt to satisfy the curiosity on so many people’s minds, here are my ten main reflections on Russia after our unforgettable trip.
1 – Moscow and St. Petersburg feel so much more like European cities than one would expect. Just wandering the streets in Moscow, you could walk through a very green park while admiring the colorful homes lining the streets. The Metro system is one of the best I’ve ever experienced, and some of the stations are must-visits in and of themselves. The juxtaposition of European and Soviet architecture is pretty spectacular and of course, the iconic Red Square and Moscow Kremlin are even more remarkable in person and unlike any other place I’ve been.
The view of Moscow’s Kremlin from the Sofiskaya Embankment, just across the Moskva River.
Delightful green park to walk through in Moscow.
Loved exploring these incredible cathedrals in the Moscow Kremlin.
2 – Russian cities are extremely walkable, which is a key gauge of whether I’ll like a place or not. And you’ll want to (and, need to) walk a lot if you’re eating all of the very heavy food, like we were.
3 – Speaking of food… we loved Georgian food – especially melt-in-your-mouth khachapuri, traditional Georgian cheese and egg bread loaded in butter, which is widely available – and quickly learned that traditional Russian cafeterias have the best Russian food. A good rule of thumb is to eat as many pelmeni dumplings – tiny, melt-in-your-mouth Russian dumplings – as possible. Medovik – honey cake – was absolutely incredible (pictured below). Also, we learned quickly that vegetables aren’t exactly favored on menus in Russia; we ordered many beet salads in various establishments and all of them were tossed in mayo which is just what they do.
4 – Russian royalty really mastered the art of palatial interior and exterior design. The palaces in St. Petersburg are incredibly intricate and stunning. Peterhof – Peter the Great’s Summer Palace that is about a 45-minute speed boat away from the city – is actually a dream, and the Nicolas II’s library in the Winter Palace should be at the top of everyone’s library inspo boards, just trust me.
Extremely casual sitting room in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
Nicolas II’s beautiful library.
Endless chandeliers.
5 – The lack of diversity throughout the country is palpable. In general, Russians are pretty nice to tourists but admittedly we were there for the World Cup, so they were likely putting on the best face. We also quickly noticed that they tend to be nicest to white westerners.
The Hermitage Museum is full of epic art-filled, beautiful hallways and rooms like this one.
6 – The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has a reputation similar to the Louvre for a reason. It’s collection blew us away, and it is massive – we went twice and we still only scratched the surface. (If you’re noticing a theme, I loved St. Petersburg so will do a full post to dive deeper on the highlights.)
One of St. Petersburg’s many beautiful little canals lined with colorful buildings.
7 – Airbnb is a great option for affordable accommodations in good neighborhoods. We stayed in great Airbnbs in both Moscow and St. Petersburg with really friendly hosts and nice digs. But, Soviet-era public housing blocks leave quite a bit to be desired, especially if the unit you’re staying in has been frozen in time since well before the fall of the USSR. (Yes, it happened to us in Nizhny Novgorod and yes, I’ll write about it because the experience staying in it for one night provided endless material.)
The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is every bit as ornate and majestic outside as inside.
8 – Eat as much caviar as possible. I miss it, which is weird. You can even get caviar at the Moscow airport upon arrival, from a vending machine. Yes, really.
Loved this mural we passed a million times near our Airbnb in Moscow.
9 – Public transportation is fantastic and super easy. As I mentioned, the Metro systems in every city we were in were very convenient, easy, and fast. The buses and trams in St. Petersburg were also great. And the trains connecting cities throughout the country make them the obvious mode of transport to get from point A to B. Taking an overnight train from Moscow to St. Petersburg was an unforgettable experience that I’d do again if given the chance.
Our car on the overnight train. Each bench became a twin-sized bed.
10 – Last but certainly not least, vodka is cheaper than water. Vodka is literally cheaper than anything else. We’re talking really good vodka – drinkable vodka that doesn’t burn your throat when you sip it – which I never really thought existed until I went to Moscow.
St. Basil’s is so exquisite and even more spectacular than I imagined possible in person.
Anna Logs It 