2. In Moscow with two lovely Russian women

By Filipe Morato Gomes

Upon arrival in Moscow, Russia, I was taken under the wings of two lovely women, Sasha and Irina, who proved to be amazing hosts. Instead of having to spend big money in an expensive hotel, these ladies welcomed me into their homes, and escorted me through beautiful Moscow and a select few restaurants and bars. I even got a local's glimpse at a private religious ceremony that Irina brought me to. I could not have been luckier.

Looking around Moscow, I could not escape that isolated feeling of being a foreigner in the world around me. I felt illiterate - surrounded by meaningless characters aligned like letters but lacking any meaning. Fortunately, a recent experience in St. Petersburg proved very useful, preventing me from panicking in the presence of the elegant Cyrillic alphabet.

The State Historical Museum in Moscow, Russian capital

My previous experience in Russia taught me to avoid the taxi drivers and their unreasonable prices and find myself a seat in a marshrutka - a van with about fifteen seats, used as a public transport vehicle in direct competition with the traditional buses. It was a traditional bus that I took from the airport to the nearest underground station. In these underground stations, in the depths of Moscow, I faced the daily battle of determining my next destination.

Sasha, an internet contact that I had established before my departure from Portugal, was waiting for me at the central platform of Oktyabrskaya underground station. We had never met before. To my great fortune, Sasha turned out to be an amazing hostess.

We walked together in the city centre, where Sasha gave me her local's opinion of the spots most worth visiting in the days that followed. Through these tours, not only did I get to know a little bit about my surroundings, but also got to know my hostess.

Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin

For a short-stay visitor, such as myself, Moscow is strongly centred around the area of the Kremlin. It is an area distinguished by the vastness of its buildings, with prevalent ochre colourings, as well as by the symbolism of the Red Square. Having so little time in this colossal city, it may seem strange to spend it all in such a small area. However, this is easily justified when one considers how much time the Muscovites themselves spend enjoying this lovely part of the city - gathering in groups to socialize and sample the flavourful Russian beers in the public square.

All this joviality takes place in front of the State Historical Museum of Moscow. It is an extremely well-cared-for area near the outer walls of Kremlin. A visit to the Kremlin, home to headquarters of the Russian government, shows the great care the Muscovites take in the preservation of this historical patrimony. The Kremlin is simply astonishing. However, as unfair as it may be to mention, it were the beautiful frescoes that on the ceilings and walls of the three main churches (located in aptly named Cathedral Square of the Kremlin), and the beauty of these works, though Italian in origin, that left the largest impression upon me.

It is curious that some of the highlights of my visit to Moscow are religious feature. I confess that I would never have imagined it to be this way. I was, however, accidentally given the privilege of assisting in the religious ceremony of a micro-protestant community. I knew nothing about the religion, but Irina, the Siberian half of my lovely pair of Russian hostesses, took me there with her.

Sasha, one of my lovely Muscovite hostesses

Inside the building, a small choir of not more than fifteen filled the room with harmonious melodies. For me, the only stranger in the bunch, everything was so stimulating in the amazing way that foreign experiences broaden one's horizons and sharpen one's senses. I experienced such a mixture of opposing emotions that I felt unable to extract myself from the context of the experience to evaluate what was going on. All I could do was try to take it all in.

Irina had asked me to the ceremony so I could hear her sing and play. Thus, I attended with the expectation to be a spectator. I was, instead, surprised with the role of participant as I was able to partake in this completely new and foreign experience that wholly evaded my understanding. Maybe this was some foreshadowing as to the countless surprises I was about to encounter on my around-the-world journey.

(originally written in Portuguese)

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