Operation: MOSCOW

Entry 22: 7 November, 2011

Although I only spent three days in Moscow, I feel like I did a week's worth of activities in that short time. Instead of drowning you in a Moscow novella, I've decided to break the weekend down by topics. All the sections will begin with “Operation: MOSCOW” followed by a dash and a subtopic. Hopefully this will make it easier for you to read at your leisure.

The short summary of my trip is as follows: Moscow never sleeps. Those who visit Moscow hardly sleep either. However, there's just something about Moscow. I think you have to visit the city to be able to try to understand it.

A little background on Moscow: Moscow is the current capital of the Russian Federation. However, it was not always the capital. The city was founded in 1147 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. It first became the capital of the Russian lands in 1328 (Kiev, Ukraine was the first capital of the country Rus, the predecessor to Russia). Moscow lost the role of capitol in 1713 to St. Petersburg, 12 years after Peter the Great founded the city. Peter I was fascinated with European culture and built Petersburg accordingly. He required the nobility to move to the new capital and build/live in a particular type of home, the size and design of which was determined by the family's status according to Peter's Table of Ranks. This table was based on merit, not on inheritance and family heritage. During this period Moscow was less prominent.

A great portion of the city was destroyed by fire in 1812. Contrary to popular belief, Tchaikovsky's “1812 Overture” had nothing to do with the American-British war of 1812. Instead, it marked the Napoleonic invasion of Moscow. To this day historians still disagree over whether the French army set the city aflame or whether the Russian patriots did so to prevent Napoleon from having much city to take. Either way, as the structures in the city were nearly all constructed with wood, much of the city was destroyed.

After the 1917 Revolutions which included the assassination of the last Russian tsar Nikolai Romanov II (Anastasia's father for you cartoon or conspiracy theory lovers) and the Bolsheviks' rise to power, Moscow was named the capital of Soviet Russia in 1918. Poor Petersburg lost not only much attention but underwent two name changes before being rechristened St. Petersburg again in 1991 with the disbanding of the SSSR.

In 2006, Moscow became the most expensive city to live in on the face of the planet. Moscow seems to have gone crazy with its pricing. A pair of boots we could get for $20 in the states could be well over $200 in Moscow, simply because expensive is better. I was told a joke this weekend about the Muscovite perspective on what things cost. It goes as follows:

On man goes over to his neighbor to show him his newest purchase. He proudly declares to his neighbor, “I paid $50 for this.” His neighbor gives a barking laugh and responds, “You fool. I paid $60 for the same thing!”

Granted this is an over-generalization and does not mean everyone in Moscow is obsessed with materialism, but the sentiment does exist in the city.