Okt
19
2010
What an amazing experience!
I really loved that trip from beginning to end. And maybe with the exception of the security personnel at the airport, Russian people were among the most kind human beings I’ve met so far. Even though I never had so little common communication ground before…
Here now my 15 (not to be taken too seriously) findings from two days in the Russian capital:
1. Forget what bing maps might tell you about how long you’ll need to get from point A to point B!
Airport Moscow Domodedovo > Microsoft office, Bing Maps: 1:28, reality: 2:30
Microsoft office > Hotel, Bing Maps: 23 minutes, reality: 2 hrs
Hotel > Airport Domodedovo, Bing Maps: 1:18, Reality: 1:50
And: No, this was not all in rush hour :-)
2. If you order a taxi for time x, expect it to arrive more like x+30 minutes.
Furthermore: Don’t expect the taxi driver to call you if he doesn’t find you… he’s more likely to stand at the wrong place for 30 minutes and probably thinks you’re just to stupid to find him… I had three trips with pre-ordered taxis and none of them arrived on time…
3. There are no fat people in Moscow… (or they are locked away out of sight)
I haven’t seen anyone who looked like having overweight… amazing…
4. Taxis are barely held together by rust and prayers but the drivers accept credit card without hesitation and process it with wifi enabled high tech equipment. (This is something I’d wish for Munich… really!)
5. Nobody liked my Euros, but when I offered dollars they accepted… (huh?)
6. Russians smoke everywhere. (sigh)
7. If you’re standing on a red traffic light and it doesn’t change to green fast enough… use your horn! It’s so much more fun to wait for green while everybody is honking…
8. Lane lines drawn on the street are more suggestion than something to take serious. There is always room for one more car… at any speed
9. If you’re a pedestrian who likes to cross the street: Just walk firmly, trust your guarding angel and show no fear. You’ll survive... maybe…
I’ve seen 3 times that people were just walking cross the street and forced everybody to emergency breaks. Probably that’s the only chance to really cross a street though.
10. If you’re a women then you must wear either really short skirts or jeans with boots. It’s the law! Stilettos or high heels are highly recommended. Temperature is no legitimate excuse. May I add that I have absolutely no complaints about this one, especially considering point 3.
11. If you yield into traffic and nobody honks at you because he/she was forced to an emergency break then you’re doing something wrong.
12. Beautiful buildings are either churches or official governmental buildings or they are outside of the city… (The latter are rather picturesque though)
13. It’s more important to have two flat screen tv sets on the hotel room than one good heating device. Since the air-conditioning system worked and couldn’t be turned off it was freezing cold in my room. The electric heater had no real chance… Actually it was warmer outside than in my room
14. If you’re a security official: Don’t worry about looking silly with that strange oversized cap you’re wearing. The machine gun and/or beating stick you carry compensates for it.
15. Moscow is Starbucks country! Yey!