Moskau!

Diese Stadt ist eine Dirne,
Hat rote Flecken auf der Stirn,
Ihre Zähne sind aus Gold,
Sie ist fett und doch so hold;
Ihr Mund fährt mir zutale,
Wenn ich sie dafür bezahle,
Sie zieht sich aus, doch nur für Geld,
Die Stadt, die mich in Atem hält:
Moskau - Раз, два, три (one, two, three) ...

The first thing that came to my mind when the train entered the city were these lyrics to the song by Rammstein (I miss my music!).
The second was, of course, the descriptions of Sergey Lukianenko. We actually passed Ostankino TV Tower when we pulled in. For some reason that got me really excited. I had read about it, seen it on TV and now I'm here. For real. It was - more even then the Red Square itself - the signal that I was actually in Moscow. A sharp needle, more than 500 meters tall, piercing the clear morning sky. I still can't get enough of it.
The Red Square was, of course, another highlight. I remembered it most from the film Red Heat (80's action with Arnold Schwarzenegger), so it was exciting to see it with my own eyes. There's something about it. The red Kremlyn walls on one side, the grand department store ГУМ - GUM - on the other, limited at either end by the historical museum and St. Basil's. It's a place where you can feel history. Lenin's Tomb reminds of recent past while the fortress has evolved out of the historic city centre over hundreds of years. The whole layout reminds me of Tian An Men in Beijing. The politics, the tombs, the grand gates, the wide open space.
In Moscow, I managed to hook up with a Russian girl who lives here. I had written to her via a website called couchsurfing.com. She replied, so we met on my first afternoon here. Her name is Julia. I wasn't sure what to expect. Johani had used the website a lot saying that the girls he had met seemed to see the meetings more like dates. Not that I'd be opposed to that (who would?) but it could easily eat a nasty hole into my budget (on top of sight seeing prices). Plus, it would be stupid to invest time, emotion and money into something that already has an end date.
However, it turned out to be none of this. Julia was a very sweet girl very eager to show me around and curious about me. She showed me to some places not so frequented by tourists. In the end, I'm almost tempted to say that she took her "duties" as a guide a bit too seriously. She was almost professional about it. What I mean is that I enjoyed talking tp her and exchanging thoughts and views. Sometimes she would then interrupt and say "here, this is typically Russian" or "here, have you tried this". It's not an easy balance, I guess, because if you're showing someone around you want to make sure they get the most of their stay. Still, for me the absolute highlight was that she and her friend Olya found a cinema that showed films in English, so I could finally watch Transformers. Thanks a million times, girls! For that (if nothing else) I love you. I hope to return the favour one day.
So, do I now understand the lyrics from the beginning better? Maybe a bit. Everything in Msocow seems to have its price. Still more than St. Petersburg. Double ouch from my wallet!
Gold teeth. People do have them here a lot, that's true. Every smile gleams and sparkles. A guy on the train here said that Moscow was dirty and run-down. I guess, to a certain extent he's right. It's also not as grand a place as St. Petersburg. Still, a lot of restoration and improvement work is being done. Like old decay being covered with gold.
The city feels young and vibrant where Piter felt merely historic. There are young people everywhere, in parks and squares in the evening practicing scate-boarding, roller-blading, drumming or the artistic use of little balls on a string (god knows what it's called) or just chatting. And you see the new gold everywhere in the form of posh shops and expensive (read: phat) cars. Very happening place, Moscow.
So, in front of the Bolshoy Teatr, old Karl Marx looks down at me propagating his "proletarians of all countries, unite" while a very capitalist advert screen flashes colourful messages across my back. I wonder what he'd say to that...?