Reflections on Moscow (Simon)

We both enjoyed Moscow and said that we would certainly like to come back here again, potentially combining a trip to St Petersburg too. Our reflections of the place are as follows

• Very clean - they even washed the streets 3 or 4 times a day!
• No litter either - very orderley - must be ingrained in all as part of their communist past?
• Very friendly people despite the Russian reputation of being miserable and un welcoming (except the bank teller who charged us a 10% fee to get change from a 5000 rouble note which we had just got out of their ATM - must be an Aeroflot air hostess in a prevoius life)
• Very beautiful city especially around the Kremlin, Red Square, Bolshoi etc
• Very, very expensive place especially in restaurants (you could blow £100 easily on a one course meal with wine!) Guess why there are more billionaires in Moscow than any other city in the world!
• Despite the cost both the Russian and Western food was of good quality and tasty
• Very confusing place as cryllic alphabet is not easy to decipher ane outside tourist areas no conversion into Roman alphabet
• Learnt four Russian words: Privet (hi), Spa Siba (thanks), Pa Ya Loost (Please) and most importantly Piva (Beer)!!!