MaryMunnik.com

Dreaming of Western Lifestyle at Moscow

You loose all sense of direction in the capital of Russia, with the meandering flow of the river and a Stalinist skyscraper in the far horizon every way you look. Being in Moscow makes one believe to be lost in a Hollywood décor, an imaginary city from a fairytale or the land of make-believe. All buildings are recently painted, gilded and restored. It cost 200 US$ to built the Christ Saviour Church at a time when a great number of the Russians live below poverty lines. Not that long ago, communist Russia strongly rejected capitalism, but the meters wide Bvlgari poster at the square opposite of the Kremlin and the luxurious stores in the GOEM building reflect how times have changed. Hotel National even featured in a Vogue fashion report recently. The heart of the government has turned into a shopping district, just like in the Middle Ages when the Red Square was a common market place. The area is devoid of people, except for a few tourists. Only the happy few are able to embrace the western lifestyle, shop for a Louis Vuitton handbag, call with their mobile phones over lunch at MacDonald's. At the Zero point, an old lady picks up a coin left by a tourist and puts it in her pocket. Other people go to local markets for their shopping. On a day with temperatures far below zero, women show their merchandise on the way from the subway station to the market, where they are not required to pay fees. The market offers fake fur coats, high-heeled boots and western jeans for a mere 250 roubles (7 euro). The Russians seem to have forgotten all about their nature as bolshevists and revolutionaries. Only a week later, pensioners marched the streets in Tsverkaya to protest against new cuts in their social security.

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Latest update:
February, 2005.