Greetings from Russia! I was thrust into the unknown yesterday, the plan being to visit this vast country’s two major cities over the next few days, Moscow and St. Petersburg, with a few Sky Motoring objectives thrown in for good measure. The first is to track down the most pimped up Lada that I can nominate for Rate My Car, the second, to find the most exclusive top-end metal and the third is to drink enough Russian vodka to fell a horse. Well, while it’s cheap…
I wonder if these two cities will live up to the Russian mafia, public scandals, KGB agents and big furry hats I’ve seen on the tele?
Travelling around doesn’t exactly bode well when the first line in your guide book explains “writing a guide about Russia is next to impossible.”
The plan was to take an overnight train from Moscow to St. Petersburg but the massive queue at airport customs had made me so late, I was forced to grab a cab to make it in time. It was a surprisingly tidy Ford Focus saloon, driven by Andrei, a chain-smoking dude no older than myself and who was surprisingly chatty considering neither of us could speak a word of each other’s language. I can still smell the stench of his tabs on my coat. They were called Kent and jees, they were strong.
The free market is alive and well here, being forced down people’s throats on the highway with huge billboard advertisements. But the type of goods advertised I assume only a small section of the rich can afford. London-style traffic jams give opportunity to spot a few nice motors, but make me nervous about getting to the train on time so I jump out and decide to navigate the Metro. Surprisingly, I make my cabin in good time, and I didn’t even have to pay extra for the faux leopard print blanket. Niiiice! Next stop, St. Petersburg.
Like this? Then find out what happens when Jon hits St. Petersburg in Day Two >>>