allstarimaging wrote:
Hi Ian,
Is Russia as gloomy as these pictures make it seem? Looks fairly miserable.
Jack
I have only seen a part of St. Petersburg and one of its suburbs, but what I saw was very mixed. It has a distinct European feel, yet is also somehow different. Life is clearly a lot harder (and dirtier) than in Western Europe, but it also has amazing splendor from the days of the Tzar. However, it is a couple of steps up from most Middle Eastern countries, for example. An in-between. Most of the people I met were very friendly and helpful, one woman even taking the time to walk me over to the correct train platform and explain things to me. On the other hand, there is a tangible tension in places, with frustration lurking just under the surface. People are working hard and long hours, but many don't have much of a safety net under them, and disease can lead to poverty quickly. In this sense it is similar to the States, but even tougher. There is a very visible upper class which drives hugely expensive cars and dresses in the most expensive brands, again, much like the States, but the general feel and infrastructure is more like Detroit than New York.
Apparently the further you go from St. Petersburg and Moscow, the more neglected it starts feeling, with low budgets and a youth which is slowly leaving. 75% of Russia lives in urban areas. Russia is just absolutely massive, and on the current budget, it cannot begin to cope with keeping the entire infrastructure modern and maintained. The population is quite concentrated in a few areas, and outside of that, there are just vast spaces crossed by few roads and traintracks. Much of the population of roughly 400 million of the Soviet has now left, in countries like Kazakstan and so on, and there are just 140 million now. As far as I understand, Putin's politics have heavily favoured St. Petersburg and Moscow development over the rural areas, so the gap is widening.
There might be errors in what I have written. Perhaps some of our Russian members can add more.
I think it's a good summary. That's one of the reasons I went to Volgograd, to see the "real" Russia. Petersburg and Moscow are very different, at least in the centres. The Moscow suburbs can be grim too.
Having said that, I was VERY surprised at the level of development in Volgograd, the presence of German banks etc.
Then there's another huge step down outside the city, with people in the villages still leading very old-fashioned lives in wooden cottages.
This hill was the scene of several battles as it provided the main observation point over the city and onto the Volga for directing artillery fire. Now the main memorial to the fallen.
I was very surprised by this - it says Vote Communist because the beautiful people are on our side. Is this really the party of Kollontai? In the same district the male candidate's poster said "Young, Modern, Honest".
Love the shots of Russia, make me feel very nostalgic (i'm originally from there)
I just got the Fuji x100s two days ago and am in love!! Definitely takes some getting used to, and to be honest i dont find the body all that comfortable to hold, but otherwise its everything i wanted
