Russia, 2013

I could never have imagined – back in 1989, when the crumbling of apartheid in South Africa was echoed by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union – that I would one day visit Russia as a tourist. As with every other country I have visited (Russia is number 66), I was made to feel extremely welcome, in this case by the people of Coca-Cola.

Moscow is impressive – in the first instance, in terms of its scale, from the size of the city (12 million inhabitants) to the towering edifices of many of its Soviet style buildings and statues. There is also a strong aesthetic, especially associated with its commitment to the arts, with many of the great writers, poets and musicians celebrated actively. Of course, the city also has its fair share of architectural wonders, notably its iconic gold turreted churches and the fairytale-like Saint Basil’s cathedral.

I’m glad I visited Gorky Park. It gave me a sense of the city’s green space. I like that it is being used to promote health and wellbeing. This morning, there were mass open air classes for aerobics and yoga, as well as the permanent on-site beach volleyball courts and skateboard park. While I was there, I saw a large group of cyclists pass through, and many individuals on rollerblades; even one on rollerskis. Opposite the park, at the art gallery, I was like a kid in a candyshop among the wonderful display of sculptures in the surrounding garden.

My overriding impression of the visit, however, comes from the Russians at Coca-Cola’s Hellenic bottling company, who I had the good fortune to spend some time with. On the evening of my arrival, I joined them at their company CSR/PR awards function, which climaxed with a drumming session. The second evening, after the four hour seminar I delivered, we went to a retro restaurant, with décor and artefacts from the communist era. Here, I witnessed – and participated in – the great Russian tradition of toasting everything and anything. I think I stopped counting after the 12th toast. Yesterday, many of those who attended the seminar also joined a Cityhopper bus tour, since they were from other parts of the country and were, in some cases, visiting for the first time.

This was a good reminder of the vastness of Russia, covering (I think) seven time zones. When some Russians get up in the morning, others have already finished their day. With this dispersion comes great diversity. There is a real sense of regional identity. If you are from Siberia, you have a different life and culture than if you live in the coastal city of Vladivostok. All, however share a great pride and vitality in what it means to be Russian. Like the USA and China, I expect one could spend years exploring Russia’s diverse bio-regions and urban centres. Globalisation is everywhere in evidence – with the usual ubiquity of multinational logos – but it seems to have done little to erode the indigenous culture.

No one I spoke to was planning to live and work somewhere else in the world. And when I asked one woman whether she thought Russia might break apart in future, she was genuinely confounded. She had never ever entertained the possibility. Despite significant challenges like corruption, which are widely acknowledged, everyone seems to feel that life is getting better and there is hope for the future. There was also the observation that the government, which is still strongly centralised, is too far away from where people live to affect them too much, for better or for worse. Next time, I hope I have the chance to visit a different part of this fascinating mega-country.