AIESEC Alumni International Meeting Moscow

At the end of the week, I attended the AIESEC Alumni International Meeting. For four days we have had the chance to get to know Russia, several companies and many active and former AIESECers. Germany was represented by 9 delegates.

On Thursday, it started with several lectures on the Russian economy followed by a panel discussion. In the evening, we joined the 64th International Congress for dinner, Alumni Hall of Fame and Russian Night. After awarding several alumni for their work, the cultural programme with dances, music and culinary stalls started.

Also the next day was orchestrated by the Russian alumni and we went to the Skolkovo School of Management. There we could participate in two workshop rounds by the partners of the International Congress - I joined the Legacy of Sochi (PwC) and Industry and Government Relations (Sun InBev). In between, Evgeniya introduced several Russian alumni and their businesses.

The weekend was dedicated to the progress of the international organisation - the international board prepared several lectures and worshops on alumni programmes, membership and communication. In the evening, we got ready for the gala dinner that took place at Afiamall. The dinner hall was towered by big matroschkas who witnessed together with us the handover of the UBS awards to the best AIESEC countries.

On the last day, we had a sleep in - finally! Then Michaela from AIESEC International gave a speech on the alumni strategy. The closing was very emotional and we thanked the organising committee for a unforgettable event.

I had to leave early as my flight was scheduled for departure in the afternoon - to get to Domodedovo I had to take the metro and then the AeroExpress. I missed the one I wanted to catch seeing just the taillights. Nonetheless, I made it in time to check-in, had a fast lane through security and then nearly missed the flight as my gate was hidden behind a long queue of passengers on the way to Vienna. 

Moscow IV: Cosmos

Another important topic for Russia is the space or better cosmos. The Soviet Republic was the first country to send a dog and then a man in the space.

In Moscow, these events together with a lot of others are remembered in the Cosmonautics Museum that is below the Monument "To the Conquerors of Space". The monument was built after the launch of Sputnik.

To the Conquerors of Space

The museum features exhibits, replicas and photos from all the space missions, training centers and satellites.

Soyuz capsule

inside MIR

Still today Russia's space programme is important internationally. Especially after the NASA abandoned their shuttle programme and now the space flights from Baikonur (Kazakhstan) supply the international space station ISS.

Moscow III: Tsaritsyno

Tsaritsyno is a palace built by Catherine the Great in a park in Kolomenskoye that she bought from Prince Kantemir - a gambler - in late 18th century. She changed the name to Tsaritsyno meaning Empress' village.

Singing fountain in the park

In the park, there nicely arranged flowerbeds, fountains, statues and several buildings besides the big palace.

One is the Church of our Lady - that looks normal from outside, but is richly decorated on the inside.

Church of our Lady

interior

The palace was not finished during her lifetime as she had problems with the architects and ran out of money.  The ensemble of buildings was made of red brick and white was used a decorative colour. 

patterned bridge

After more than 200 years, the palace and surroundings were woken up from their sleep by the mayor of Moscow who released funds to complete the inside. Now the interior is decorated nicely, parts are given to different exhibitions and a tourist structure is established.

palace

stairway

golden ballroom

Only service and English speaking staff & signs are lacking. Nowhere at the cashiers desk it was saying that you have to pay a photo license. Then 15 min into the palace you stand in a beautiful golden ballroom and you get your camera out. Before you are able to make more than two photos the attendants harrass you for the license. So from now on you try to make some sneak pictures with your iPhone camera. 

At another museum I even unpacked my big camera in front of the cashier to get hold of my purse. But she did not ask whether I need a license, so when I was told by her colleague I had to go back and get one. I got quite furious that day. 

Court yard to Khlebny Dom (kitchen house)

After the palace I went through the park where a lot of squirrels were running about.

Saying goodbye to the park

A day on the Dacha

Today, I took an elektritschka to Zhavoronki in the west of Moscow to visit my friend Alla. The first train I took was not going the whole way which I found out only after standing for 10 minutes at a stop and my connection passing by. I got off and changed platforms and hopped on a later train.

 elektritschka

Alla picked me up at the train station from where we took a marshrutka (minibus) to the Dacha. A dacha is a home either for weekends, the warm season or the whole year that is located just outside the big towns in the country side. Most of them are made from wood and lack some luxury of modern life (warm water, indoor toilets/ bathrooms) but they bring you back in touch with nature. The garden around them gives space for planting fruits and vegetables of your choice. It reminded me a lot of the weekend home of my childhood days.

old dacha

Alla's grandparents live in the old dacha all year round. Behind it, Alla's parents built a new one for themselves and Alla, her husband and the little baby Leo. They just use it for the summer and will return to the city by the end of September.

Alla in front of the new dacha

Alla's mom and grandma fed me well with home-grown fruits and vegetables and I drank several cups of tea. In between, we talked in German, Russian and English - whatever suited us. After lunch, Alla and I went for a stroll in the nearby wood and she took some nice pictures of me.

me back in touch with nature

 lake

Leo, Alla's son, spends a wonderful time here being taken care of by three generations and so he smiled a lot at me.

garden flower 

In the evening, I bid farewell to all and promised to return the next time I come to Moscow. 

Moscow II: Advertising & Shopping

Every culture is different and influences also the marketing. While metro stations in Moscow were kept to their natural beauty, also the advertisement in alleys leading from one stop to another and in the escalator tubes still kept a low profile. Really overwhelming were the street art graffiti advertisement when you left the underground.

Apple, BMW, Subway, McDonald's --> all interesting brands were sprayed on the asphalt trying to guide your feet one way or another. Besides this, big billboards are the other method of choice to communicate products to the customer. There we talk 21st century - with LCD screens at the big crossroads.

But after all this luring where do the Russians shop? This as usual very much depends on the size of purse. There are street markets and mini markets for grocery shopping.

Next up the line, you will find shopping malls with all the brands and supermarkets you know from Europe for the middle class.

And then there are the shopping temples of the rich and famous.

ZUM - department store on Petrovka Street

Exclusive shopping passage on Petrovka Street

One exclusice shopping district leads on Petrovka Street from the Bolshoi Theatre to the pedestrian strip of Stoleshnikov Lane that is line with stores of Cartier, Escada and Chanel.

Escada

Cartier

And then there is Gostiny Dvor - the old merchant arcades that are the historic start of the nowadays shopping centres. The neoclassical building was started in the late 18th century and finished in 1830. The glass roof was added in the 1995 renovations and today it is used in a trade fair and exhibition style.

So your shopping options are various but never forget that you are in the most expensive city in Europe (#4 in the world)! Especially if you are German - we are not used to those prices. There 13 European cities among the TOP 50 most expensive ones in the world - but no German!:-) Even Munich feels quite expensive from time to time.

Suzdal - Diamond of the Golden Ring

Once the capital, Suzdal could not keep up with Moscow or Vladimir as it "was bypassed not only by the [Trans-Siberian Railway] trains, but by the 20th century altogether" (Lonely Planet). The Golden Ring is a collection of small historic Russian towns in the northeast of Moscow, all displaying uncountable onion-towered churches, kremlins and wooden cottages.

Lunch view: Suzdal's Kremlin

This Sunday morning, we - Zhenya, Lena, Olga and me - drove to Suzdal. It took us about 4 hours to reach there, so we started with a picnic. We could see the blue onion domes of the Kremlin complex while eating bread with cheese, sausage and vegetables. After lunch, we entered the Kremlin with its church and museum.

Picnic in the park

The cathedral was the first non-wooden church in town, first built in the 11th century, in 1222 the current structure of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin was started and re-decorated often over the centuries.

big lantern

We continued our visit by strolling over the countryside to the Museum of Wood Architecture.

Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral and Church of St. Nicholas (wooden)

There were several buildings on display from the whole region including churches, farm houses from poor to rich and also a merchant estate.

Transfiguration Church, 1756

Olga, Chris & Lena

Iconostasis of the Resurrection Church, 1776

Luckily, all the houses in the open-air museum had outside signboards in English giving a basic idea of the usage of the buildings. Otherwise, Suzdal was not too well prepared for individual English-speaking tourists.

House with a mezzanine, 19th century

On the way back, we crossed the souvenir market and bought some things to remember our visit.

Virgin of all Sorrows Church

We crossed the small town and ate dinner near Saviour Monatery of St. Eusthymus that was surrounded by a fortified wall.

monastery wall tower

While eating we had a good view of yet another monastery - the Intercession Convent with its cathedral.
Then we bought some local drinks and passed by the nowadays wooden buildings before heading back to Moscow and the world of traffic jams.

 nowadays wooden house

Moscow I: Novodevichy Convent & Varvarka Street

I arrived in Moscow on Friday evening, after a long queue at immigration, a ride with AeroExpress train and metro I finally met my friend Lena. We went to the supermarket to get some food and drove to her home to prepare dinner.

Next day, Lena's sister Oksana showed me arround the city. First, we started with Novodevichy Convent - founded in the 16th century it was later initially a second home for Sofia (half-sister of Peter the Great) during her rule. Later Peter confined and imprisoned her there and had her joined by his first wife.

Transfiguration Gate-Church

Outside the gate, we bought tickets to the exhibitions and church. The convent was very quiet except for the guided tour buses that spilled out their load from time to time. We tried to avoid them and made our own way through the convent.

bell tower

The first exhibition hold information, pictures and icons of the churches in Moscow and its region. Pictures showed the restoration and reconstruction of churches after perestroika.

Assumption Church

The other exhibitation showed the life of a Mother Superior in the 20th century and everyday objects of the nuns. While we were strolling from one place to the other, it started to rain heavily so we ran for cover in the convent shop. You could buy pictures of saints, candles, souvenirs and much more. After 15 minutes we finally dared to go out again and headed to the next door church through the lighter rain.

Iconostasis of Smolensk Cathedral

The rain eased so we walked around the convent back to the car. We drove through the city passing by several good known sights like the Bolshoi Theatre, Red Square, Kremlin, ... Finding a parking spot was as difficult as in any other metropolitan city in the world, so we had to walk about 15 min to Varvarka Street.

This little street linking Kitay Gorod (China Town) and Red Squares features four churches (one at least working), a monastery, the little Romanov museum and the Old English Court (the first residence and trade post of the British Empire built in 16th century).

Church of St. George

The Cathedral of the Sign

On the way back we crossed a street market and followed our steps back to the café where we drank coffee and tea and then further to the car. The navigation system led us home past Lubyanka Square (former headquarter of the KGB - now Federal Security Service), Tverskaya Street and Belorusskaya Train Stration.

At home Lena prepared her special croissants with salmon - delicious.