As the summer sun shines brighter every passing day, I am reminded of my winter in Moscow more and more. A white blanket of snow that welcomed me as I stepped out of Moscow Airport in mid-December was a starkly different experience from the blinding heat of India's spring.
When I visited Moscow with other journalists, our guide and driver met us outside. Both were smiling warmly as they said, "You've arrived at the perfect time—this is the city's first snowfall."
However, no one seemed to pay much heed to them. Instead, mesmerized by the sight of snow, everyone eagerly pulled out their phones, clicking countless pictures of the white expanse, posing against it. For many of this group of journalists, including myself, it was our first experience with snow.
At that time, it seemed no one cared that the temperature was below freezing and the snow crunched beneath our feet. The gentle fall of snowflakes on our faces was an experience in itself. The entire airport seemed to have been taken over by snow, turning it into a dreamland.
Our reverie was broken when the driver said, "Please hurry, you have only three days to enjoy the snowfall and the city." We boarded the bus, but the picture-taking didn't stop. On the way, we clicked photos of snow-covered trees, cars and anything that caught our eye and transported us to a winter wonderland.
Inside the city
Our home for the next three days was the Lotte Hotel Moscow, which was enveloped in the festive spirit of Christmas. Although Christmas was still a week away, the hotel was already decked out in all its finery. A majestic Christmas tree, its branches laden with sparkling ornaments and twinkling lights, infused the entire space with a sense of joy and wonder.
Now it was time to explore the city. Moscow, the Capital and the largest city of Russia, has everything, from a rich past to modern history, to attract tourists. Surprisingly, Russia has not been on many Indian tourists' bucket list. Our guide told us that this is due to a lack of knowledge about the tourist attractions in the city, and also because many Indian tourists prefer to visit other European destinations rather than Moscow.
However, like any other European city, Moscow is a cosmopolitan city with monuments steeped in history, bustling street squares, world-class theatres, nightclubs, restaurants, parks and much more. And the best part is that it is easy and cheaper to get a visa for the city compared to other European countries.
After lunch, we stepped out of the hotel to explore Moscow, and were immediately struck by the premature dusk in the city. Moscow gets dark around 4 pm, and the relentless snowfall can make roaming around the city a challenge. However, the blanket of white snow and ubiquitous Christmas decorations was too tempting to resist.
As tourists, our first stop was the iconic Red Square, Moscow's main square and most famous historical site. Nestled between the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod, Red Square is the most visited place in the city and one of the first Russian sites to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Red Square is home to the breathtaking St. Basil's Cathedral, with its kaleidoscopic domes, and serves as the gateway to the Kremlin, the official residence of the Russian President. The snow-covered St. Basil's Cathedral was a sight to behold, making our visit truly unforgettable.
However, everything looked beautiful, but the cold was deterring us from staying outside for too long. In fact, clicking pictures had also stopped, as it was so cold that one of our colleagues dropped his mobile phone. Sensing this, our guide said, "Let's get warm and explore something inside." And he took us to the Moscow Metro.
Metro! Our reaction was one of surprise. Our guide informed us that the Moscow Metro is not only fully underground and one of the oldest, but it would also bring good luck to passengers. His words intrigued us, and we soon found that each station is special and unique, with lobbies and underground halls decorated with marble statues, stained glass windows, mosaics and relief compositions made by leading Soviet and Russian artists.
Among all these, the most popular one is the bronze border dog at Ploshchad Revolutsii station. Locals believe touching the dog's nose will bring one luck. Though we were not convinced by the guide's story, we did pat the dog's nose, like every passenger was doing there.
Then, we visited the Panorama 360 observation deck, which offered breathtaking 360-degree views of Moscow’s cityscape. From its 89th floor, this lofty vantage point allowed us to see the snow-covered rooftops stretching out as far as the eye could see. The best part of visiting this place is that one can enjoy all these views with as much ice cream as you want, as it is included in the ticket price.
The following day, our guide asked us to rise early, hinting that we were in for a treat. "Today, we'll visit a treasure trove," he teased, building our anticipation. The word "treasure" was enough to spark our imagination.
Part of the Kremlin, the Diamond Fund exhibition is a repository of Russia's most precious gems and jewels. Inside, we marveled at the stunning array of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, each one a masterpiece of Russian jewellery-making. The exhibition features masterpieces of jewellery art from the 18th to 20th centuries, rare precious stones, order insignia, and nuggets of noble metals of great historical, artistic, scientific and material value.
One of the highlights was the Orlov diamond, an Indian gemstone and the largest diamond in the collection. Our guide shared its fascinating history, which included travels between the Great Mughals and the Persian Shahs. In the 17th century, Russian Count Orlov purchased the unique diamond as a gift for Russian Empress Catherine II.
Our final destination was Gorky Park in Moscow, where we were invited to participate in various snow activities. The park transforms into a popular ice-skating rink during winter, complete with a skating school for children. Although we were too cold to join in on the fun, we enjoyed taking pictures of the kids enjoying the winter activities.
As we departed Moscow, we couldn't help but think that the winter here was welcoming, it's beauty capabale of captivating Indian tourists, just like any European city.
