A tale of two cities.

You can imagine the exam question:-

'Compare and contrast two cities that have both served as their country's capital within the last millennium.'

For my analysis of this topic, I have chosen St. Petersburg and Moscow, both within what is now the Russian Federation and both serving or having served as the capital city for Russia and the former Soviet Union. Blah blah blah...

I don't intend telling you about what you can see,  or I have seen, in these cities, so much as to give you a flavour of them, as places, as seen through my eyes. Imagine spending a few days in one of England's historic cities, such as York, Bath, Edinburgh (note to self: check old geography text books before pissing Scottish friends!) and then travel to the big smoke, London, for a couple of more days. This will give you a feel for the differences that I experienced.

I probably need to clarify, I'm not really a great 'city' fan and so my view may and will be different from that of someone who thrives on the cut and thrust of the metropolis. St. Petersburg is a comparatively small and compact city. It does have a certain amount of urban spawl, but most of the interesting bit of the city centre around the 'historic heart' to the south of the Neva and Bolshaya Neva. It is here that you will find the Winter Palace, The Hermitage, St. Issac's cathedral and the Mariinsky Theatre. Many of the buildings are painted in pastel shades of blue, green and pink. The people smile a lot and are incredibly welcoming and conversational. The city has a very 'safe' feel to it - in fairness, the guide books do say that Russia, in general, is very safe for tourists - so walking around the streets is interesting and enjoyable. 

At the Winter Palace I was approached by a man who said he was a tour guide and had left over tickets for the opera that night. At first, I was sceptical as I would be of a tout. However, he was only asking the face value as he just didn't want them wasted. I decided to take a chance. £20 isn't too much to lose, if I've read him wrong. So it was off to Carmen that evening. It was only when I was waiting to go in that I had the panic that the ticket could be fake and I was going to have to explain this to Russian police. As it was, all was fine and I had a lovely evening, my faith and trust in the fundamental honesty of the majority upheld (I was reminded of me selling on Vicky's ticket, to the Applecart festival, in much the same way).

Moscow had a totally different feel to it. I didn't feel unsafe, but it was far less welcoming. To be fair, it is a massive city with a population of nearly 12 million - about 3 times that of St. Petersburg. Other than the confined area around the Kremlin, which includes the famous St Basil's church with its multicoloured minarets, my view of Moscow was of a grey and utilitarian place. Everyone was very engrossed in there own world and, with a couple of exceptions, we far less communicative than the Petrovites. As a tourist in post-soviet Russia it is generally ok to take photos, except of any infrastructure, military or civil government facility, or anyone carrying a gun (which, of course, includes the criminal fraternity). The general advice is to snap away at recognised tourist sites but avoid photographing anything that looks like an office. So when my guide took me to see the outside of the fabled Lubyanka and I asked if it was possible to see inside, he said 'Yerz. Orf coors! Juz take a photo! You hwill be taken inside in no time, da!'. All that said, Moscow is worth a visit, if just to see the metro stations. They are full of soviet art-deco, if such a thing exists.

I am told that Peter the Great and Vladimir Putin have at least one thing in common. They both dislike(d) Moscow and favour St. Petersburg. Peter the Great founded the city just over 300 years ago. When he order the city to be built on what was then marshland, the world thought he was joking. When he then made it the Capital, they thought he'd gone mad. However, it prospered and grew to be a jewel in the crown of Russian cities. Putin was born there and so his ties are perhaps a little more domestic.

I said earlier, I'm no big fan of cities. Both of these places have their plus's, but for me St. Petersburg wins the 'Golden Moon'. I do put the caveat that I have only spent limited time in each city and at a time of the year that made extensive exploring difficult. I'm sure there are others that might extoll virtues unseen by me. If you get the chance, be your own judge!