Why do foreigners have strange eyes? This is how they see us from behind the “hillock”, or Russia through the eyes of foreigners

Alexander Latsa

Russia through the eyes of a Frenchman

Regard français sur la Russie d'aujourd'hui.

“Too often the truth about Russia is spoken with hatred, and lies with love.”

Andre Gide

For most Westerners, among whom there are Frenchmen like me, vast Russia has always been a closed country, surrounded by insurmountable thousand-kilometer borders. History textbooks told us that a large army could appear literally out of nowhere to defend “holy Rus'.” Literature described to us untouched spaces, uninhabited lands, distant cities somewhere beyond the Urals - about which no one knew practically anything. The books create a blurred portrait of a paradoxical country that is so difficult for a foreigner to understand. Russia is at the same time European, Caucasian and Asian, unlike any other country. It is difficult to imagine that it could be of interest to foreigners in the era of serfdom and absolute tsarist power, and later, during the time of dispossession, proletarian dictatorship and the Soviet regime. Despite this, Russia attracted many Western adventurers, merchants, writers, and some of them left us precious stories.

Several years ago, while reading Ferdinand Ossendowski’s book “Beasts, Men, and Gods,” I learned for the first time about “a Western foreigner who chose to live in Russia.” This autobiographical book tells the story of a Pole who joined the Russian army in 1917. White army Marshal Kolchak, and after the Bolshevik victory he went into hiding and eventually fled to India.

One of his stories particularly struck me. While hunting in the Omsk region, Ossendovsky met a British man who had accepted Russian citizenship and lives in Siberia. This meeting became a great discovery for me: both of them, an Eastern European and a subject of the British Empire, chose to live in Russia.

Since then, I have read and heard many stories about the travels and life of foreigners, mainly French, in Russia, and I have formed a certain idea about this country.

I noticed that she was always described very vividly. A French traveler to Italy or Switzerland in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries described the scenery, interspersing tourist anecdotes with humorous or critical remarks about the country's cuisine and customs.

Travel notes about Russia are completely different. They are almost never neutral. They are composed mainly of personal attitude, passion, hot criticism due to painful disappointment, misunderstanding and hatred of Russian society, but sometimes also of genuine declarations of love for Russia.

The Flemish knight Gilbert de Lannoy was the first author to describe this country on French. He dedicated part of his work “Travels and Embassies” to the Russian soil. In 1413, during the Crusades in Prussia, he visited Novgorod, and then returned to Russia again in 1419.

The most old story in French about a trip to Russia was written in 1586. Jean Sauvage left the port of Dieppe on a merchant ship, sailed along Norway, the North Cape and Kola Peninsula. He is the first Frenchman to arrive in Russia through the White Sea. In June he landed in Arkhangelsk, founded two years earlier by order of Ivan the Terrible, and it was Russia's only northern access to the sea. The book by Jean Sauvage describes the impressions of a sixteenth-century Frenchman who encountered the customs of the Muscovite state at that time. This trip marked the beginning of the first serious diplomatic and trade relations between Russia and France.

The work by Jean Sauvage is the first in a long series. From 1600 to 1611, the French mercenary Jacques Margueret served Boris Godunov - he commanded the cavalry before leading the Tsar's foreign troops. From this position, he very accurately studied and described Russia in the pre-Petrine era - his book “The State of the Russian Empire and the Grand Duchy of Moscow” was published in Paris in 1607.

Voltaire wrote The History of Russia under Peter the Great, the first volume of which was published in Geneva in 1759. Voltaire sympathized with and admired the Russian monarch; the publication of this book ignited heated intellectual purely French debates between Voltaire and his liberal opponents. They accused the Russian monarchs of tyranny, while Voltaire welcomed the absolutism and violence of the ruling forces, necessary during the period of modernization of the country. Two hundred and fifty years later, the French still argue about Russia almost as sharply - supporters of “soft democracy” and adherents of the “vertical of power”, heirs of Voltaire.

Many Frenchmen who visited the western part of Russia and Siberia also described Russian society. Among them were teachers and artists, such as Madame Vigée-Lebrun, who came to serve in the Russian aristocratic family, and mercenary officers, such as Thomas Villeneuve, the former military commandant of Tomsk. About these foreigners who lived temporarily or moved permanently, Empress Catherine II wrote to Voltaire in 1773: “I want to note that I need this in order to introduce good manners into our provinces.”

Empress Catherine II cared not only about the “good manners” of her subjects, she protected the reputation of Russia. In 1761, Abbot Jean Chappe, a French astronomer, traveled to Siberia, to Tobolsk, to observe Venus. His journey lasted two years, and on his return to France he published a book in five volumes: “A Journey to Siberia, Made in 1761, with a Description of Kamchatka,” and some parts of this text created an unfavorable impression of Russia. Catherine II responded to him by publishing a brochure: “Antidote, or Refutation of the bad, beautifully printed book “Travels through Siberia, made in 1761,” written by Abbé Chappe.”

In 1843, the work “Russia in 1839” was published in France by the Marquis de Custine, who traveled European part this country and met with Tsar Nicholas I. These travel notes became the first openly Russophobic book. Custine portrayed Russia as “backward, where the roads and hotels are catastrophically lousy” and where “fear and violence rule.” And with the clear mind of the French Enlightenment, he criticized the authoritarian tsarist rule of Russia. But the author says that in the future Russia will occupy an important place in the world. One hundred and seventy-five years later, we can say that the author “may not have seen, but guessed the future.”

Soon after, Alexandre Dumas traveled around Russia for almost two years, from 1858 to 1859, and described it in two stories, “From Moscow to Astrakhan” and “Journey to the Caucasus,” vividly and vividly depicting the corruption of that time. In the first book whole chapter dedicated to the industry of “official theft” in Russia, from the theft of state property officials to tax collectors extorting money from peasants. But Dumas admiringly described meetings with princesses, beautiful horseback rides in the steppe, hunting and lavish celebrations.

One of the most beautiful confessions in love for Russia was undoubtedly made by Jules Verne in the novel “Michael Strogoff”, published in Paris in 1876. This book glorifies the Trans-Ural expanses and Russian heroes. In the cruel and vast Siberia, men are strong and women are very beautiful. At that time, relations between Russia and France were excellent, and this book was written in honor of the visit of Tsar Alexander II to Paris.

Perhaps all the French of the older generation who were interested in Russia read the extraordinary story “ Everyday life in Russia during the time of the last Tsar,” published in 1959 by Henri Troyat. It tells the story of the journey of the Frenchman Jean Roussel from Moscow to Kazan in 1903. This is a very positive book and ends with a beautiful French-Russian love story. Troyat was born into an Armenian family of Russian origin, which explains both his nostalgic fondness for Russia and his knowledge of local customs.

The food here is delicious

Largest quantity positive feedback about our country got... food. Foreigners are satisfied with the food in general and enjoy eating both traditional Russian food and dishes from other cuisines that the restaurants of our Motherland can offer. They often mention large selection food in supermarkets, as well as its quite affordable price.

A tourist from the United States said on TripAdvisor that he likes Russian food and the large portions served in Russian restaurants.

The man noted the excellent soups and bread. He is also pleased with the goods in supermarkets and the moderate prices. In the review, the tourist wrote that in Russia you can choose tea, sweets, dairy products and vodka to suit every taste.

Human relationships

“Flowers on the streets of Russia attract everyone’s attention, they are sold even in severe frosts,” notes CNN. “Women with huge bouquets look quite familiar here.”

“Men present flowers to women on any outstanding occasion,” the publication adds. – Here this is not a sign of romantic interest, just traditionality in relations between the sexes.

Also, according to tradition, women are served first, and men's duty is to help them take off and put on outerwear, let yourself go ahead in the queue, and even in the elevator!” - the journalist emphasizes.

The publication warns that these features must be taken into account when in Russia, even for those who are not a supporter of “chivalry.”

But many sources say that Russia's famed "sullenness" may still be encountered.

“When I was buying chewing gum, I kindly asked the saleswoman: “Please, please give me this chewing gum, if it doesn’t bother you.” The seller, without even looking in my direction, continued reading something on her phone. After a considerable period of time, she turned her gaze to me and said gloomily: “Thirty rubles,” one of the tourists told this story.

But many have learned to deal with the “closedness” of Russians.

“It’s more of a stereotype that people in Russia don’t care about strangers. Sometimes this happens, but generally Russians are always ready to make new friends. It’s very easy to start a conversation with them, just choose an interesting area (checkers, making beer at home, at worst, black magic) and go to a thematic Internet resource where there are a lot of Russians. In just a few letters you will have new friend, tour guide and drinking companion for the rest of your life,” says the famous portal.

There are Russians who don't drink vodka

This was a surprising discovery for CNN. “Some Russians don’t drink at all! - says a student from Great Britain studying in Moscow. – True, if you have to attend a celebration with Russian friends, be prepared for a long series of toasts.

But if you refuse to drink, no one will force you.”

Weather

A tourist on TripAdvisor warns: “When traveling to Russia in winter, be sure to take warm boots. Snow and ice are usually removed very selectively, so when walking along the street you can slip. This seems to be a common occurrence for Russians and they are used to walking like bulldozers!”

CNN states that winter in Russia will most likely destroy any shoes, and you need to be prepared for this, even coming from a cold country.

“Mud, puddles and snow will be the last thing your new Manolo Blahnic will see, so take that into account. Many Russians are accustomed to such a winter and wear ugly but reliable shoes on the street and change their shoes at work,” the publication says.

The journalist was also shocked by the fact that Russians themselves freeze in winter.

“Despite living constantly in such a climate, many Russians do not tolerate the cold well. The rich find a simple way out of the situation and, with the onset of cold weather, leave for warmer climes,” says the journalist.

“Confirming the words of Napoleon and Otto von Bismarck, I will say: the first thing you should remember when going to Russia is the weather! It is better not to visit this country in March and November! In March, the snow begins to melt (and a lot of things accumulate under it during the winter), and the puddles look more like lakes. In November, a strong wind blows, snatching umbrellas from those walking along the streets, and rivers of water flow along the sidewalks,” writes a tourist who visited Russia.

But almost everyone who visited Russia in winter time for years they have been complaining about the incredible heat inside the buildings.

“The rooms and cars are terribly hot. Staying in a hotel room is more like fighting for survival somewhere on the equator,” says an American on TripAdvisor.

A CNN columnist says that in winter it's hot as hell in Russian houses, and it's polar cold outside. But, in his opinion, this difficulty can be overcome if you put on layers of clothing correctly. The observer noted that this is not possible the first time, but comes with experience.

Difficulties with visas and other officialdom

For many foreigners, it seems difficult to obtain a visa to Russia. But those who have previously undergone the procedure say that there is nothing difficult about it.

Journalist and traveler from the United States Veronica Hackethall shared recommendations with newcomers: “Anyone who plans to stay in Russia for more than three days needs to go through the visa registration procedure and migration card. Many hotels can easily do this upon check-in. If you are staying in Russia for less than three days, you can do without registration, but I still advise you to do it and keep it with you, because the police may ask for your documents on the street.”

“You can’t pay by card everywhere; traveler’s checks are rarely accepted. ATMs in big cities a lot, but sometimes they run out of cash,” says the journalist.

“Keep plenty of cash on you! Suddenly there won’t be an ATM on the road,” another tourist advises.

“When purchasing souvenirs, think carefully. Russia has strict rules on the export of objects representing “ cultural value" The “not for export” sticker can even be found on ballet slippers. Keep your eyes peeled and keep your receipts,” another traveler recommends.

Difficulties in everyday life

Tourists note that last years The quality of service has improved in Russia. Tourism industry workers know foreign languages(at least English), the phone can be easily switched to GSM, in the metro big cities You can use navigation, and calling a taxi with apps like Gett is now very easy. Many people like the convenient Aeroexpress trains that run from airports to the city.

But in some situations tourists still have difficulties.

“Save a couple of coins in case you need to use a public restroom. They may run out of toilet paper, so keep tissues handy. By the way, there may be no hand towels either. Toilets in small towns They often look scary and smell bad. Stopping for gas in Tatarstan, I actually came across a cab with a hole in the floor! Be careful, don’t fall,” writes a tourist from the United States on TripAdvisor.

“Be prepared to spend a lot of time at the airport, even on domestic flights. You don't have to worry about safety, but the service here is very slow. People are usually taken to the plane by bus, where the Russians behave very persistently. You may have to fight for your place,” adds the traveler.

Other oddities

Some Russian features surprise all visitors. Among them is the habit of dressing up for any occasion. Many people find it difficult to understand the principle of house numbering and find the right one even with a navigator or map. The superstition of Russians is a separate issue. One traveler discovered that sellers believed bad omen give change in your hand, so they put the money on the counter or a special saucer.

Foreign guests are also surprised by other signs: for example, in Russia they don’t pass something over the threshold because they think it’s bad luck.

As a journalist from The Calvert Journal discovered, in Russia it is very good... to get sick.

“Where there is no restaurant or sushi bar, in Moscow there is a pharmacy. And Russians are also hypochondriacs: in pharmacies there are always a lot of potent drugs that can be bought without prescriptions. After the intensive bombardment of such medicines (many of which are probably banned in the EU), the cold will go away in no time!” - says the observer.

Culture

“Art lovers will receive a lot of indescribable impressions in Russia. The country hosts amazing festivals (such as “White Nights of St. Petersburg”), you can attend wonderful ballet and opera at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters, and I’m not even talking about active parties in Moscow clubs,” says Ms. Hackethall. “Yes, Russians do not greet you with a smile, but when they show their cordiality, you can rest assured that it is sincere.”

Tourists often visit museums and exhibitions in Moscow and St. Petersburg and enjoy walking along the streets. Guests of Russia note that the sidewalks and public transport are clean. Many people talk about long distances: a tourist from the United States was surprised that you can’t just walk between Moscow metro stations.

Previously, the issue of attracting tourists to Russia was discussed at round table“Know ours: the main trends in inbound tourism in Russia”, dedicated to the exhibition “Recreation 2016”. Sergei Korneev, deputy head of Rostourism, said that Russia has many competitors who have been more successful in the tourism industry.

“Our country has every chance to take a leading position in the global tourism market. Foreign guests, first of all, appreciate high level safety and a lot of interesting sights in Russia. But these advantages are not known to everyone,” says Mr. Korneev.

Employees of Visit Russia offices also took part in the discussion and spoke about the problems of attracting foreigners to Russia. The main one is the lack of information among tourists about our country and the underdeveloped infrastructure of Russia, which is unable to satisfy so many clients.

For the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Russia, The Telegraph published an article about fascinating facts about our country. So let's see what Russia is like in the eyes of a foreigner.

Fact No. 1. The Astoria Hotel in St. Petersburg is where Hitler planned to hold a huge celebratory banquet after capturing the city.

Fact No. 2. The largest museum in Russia is the Hermitage, where there are approximately 22 kilometers of marble corridors. About 70 cats live here and protect the exhibits from rodents. This tradition dates back to the “Decree on the expulsion of cats to the court” of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, issued in 1745.

Fact No. 3. Cleanup is the day when residents of Russian cities voluntarily come out to clean up the streets. Subbotniks began to be held after the revolution and are still carried out today.

Fact No. 4. Red Square has nothing to do with communism, but comes from the word “red”, which means “beautiful”.

Fact No. 5. The icicles hanging from gutters in Moscow in winter are so huge that the sidewalks underneath them are cordoned off. They can kill if they fall on your head.

Fact No. 6. Popular rumor attributes certain characteristics to the sculptures of the Revolution Square station. magical properties, in connection with which some beliefs gradually developed. Students say that the surest sign of passing an exam is to rub your nose bronze dog at "Border Guard with a Dog"; As a result, the noses and half of the muzzle of all four dogs at the station were polished to a shine.

Fact No. 7. This is not the only sculpture of a dog in Russia: there is also a monument to Laika, who went into space in 1957.

Fact No. 8. A traditional delicacy is chicken foot soup or jellied meat.

Fact No. 9. Russians are very fond of wardrobes, so in restaurants, bars, museums you will be asked to leave your coat or bag in the cloakroom. The best wardrobes are staffed by teams of grandmothers.

Fact No. 10. Giving flowers to Russians needs to be done delicately. You need to make sure that the colors are odd number. Only if you are not invited to the funeral should you come with an even number of flowers.

Fact No. 11. In St. Petersburg, next to the bridge near the Peter and Paul Fortress, there is a statue of a hare. This is a monument in honor of the hares that used to live on the island. Throwing a coin so that it remains lying on the log next to the hare is for good luck.

Fact No. 12. Russia is the fourth country in the world according to WHO data in terms of the number of drinkers, after Belarus, Moldova and Lithuania. Britain is in twenty-fifth place.

Fact No. 13. The word "vodka" comes from the word "voda", which means "water".

Fact No. 14. Average duration the life of a man in Russia is 63 years, and this is lower than in North Korea and Iraq. Russian women, on average, live up to 75 years.

Fact No. 15. Itygran is the island where the Whale Alley is located. This ancient building Eskimos, in which the skulls and jaws of bowhead whales are laid out in the form of an alley.

Fact No. 16. The Moscow Metropolitan is perhaps the most beautiful in the world.

Fact No. 17. In the Moscow metro, according to some sources, there is a secret subway - Metro-2. It links military bunkers together.

Fact No. 18. They pickle everything: cucumbers, beets and former leaders. Mister Lenin can still be seen.

Fact No. 19. In Moscow you can find “lock trees”: couples hang locks on them to prove their love.

Fact No. 21. In the museum under the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad, only one sound is heard - the ticking of a metronome. It was broadcast on local radio during the siege, so residents knew the city was still alive.

Fact No. 22. Only weaklings lower their ears on their earflaps if the temperature does not drop below -20 degrees.

Fact No. 23. Traffic in Moscow is very bad. To avoid traffic jams, rich Russians hire fake ambulances.

Fact No. 24. Muzeon Park has a lot of unnecessary Soviet statues, as well as many modern works.

Fact No. 25. There are 11 million more women in Russia than men.

Fact No. 26. Approximately 50 percent of police officers take bribes.

Fact No. 27. There is a restaurant in Moscow where only twins work.

Fact No. 28. Russia is not only tundra and taiga, here you can go hiking to volcanoes.

Fact No. 29. Entrance fees to many attractions for foreigners are much higher. Yes, it's unfair, but there's nothing you can do about it, there's no point in complaining. It’s better to be amused by the fact that Roman Abramovich, at the current “discount for Russian citizens"will pay five times less than you.

Fact #30. Faster Yakovlev is the man who rebuilt St. Basil's Cathedral. According to legend, Ivan the Terrible blinded him so that he could not make anything more beautiful than this temple.

Fact No. 31. Russia has more time zones than any other country.

Fact No. 32. The Russian police are famous for thoroughly checking foreigners for violations (although in Lately the situation has improved). Therefore, always carry your documents with you.

Fact No. 33. One of the biggest mysteries of World War II is fate Amber room. The room with amber panels, mirrors and gilding was in Catherine's Palace Tsarskoye Selo near St. Petersburg. The palace was plundered by the Nazis, and the room was taken to Königsberg for restoration. The location of the Amber Room is still unknown.

Fact No. 34. The largest island on Lake Baikal, Olkhon, is a sanctuary of shamans. On west coast there is also the Shamanka rock.

Fact No. 35. Leaders of some European countries and the US is not particularly happy, at least in one duty free store:

Fact No. 36. In the White Dining Room of the Hermitage there is a clock on the fireplace. They were stopped from October 25 to October 26, 1917 at 2:10, when the Provisional Government, which was in power after February revolution, was arrested by the Bolsheviks. At this moment communism slipped into Russia.

Fact No. 37. Mikhail Gorbachev recorded an album of romances, and Putin participated in the creation of judo lessons on DVD.

Fact No. 38. For a short time in the 1990s, PepsiCo, thanks to a deal with Russia, became the owner of one of the largest submarine fleets in the world.

Fact No. 39. You can visit St. Petersburg without a visa by traveling to the city from Helsinki by ferry or cruise.

Fact #40. Russia is home to one of the scariest bridges in the world: the 439-meter Skybridge.

Fact No. 41. St. Petersburg has its own beach, it is located next to Peter and Paul Fortress. City dwellers, the so-called “walruses”, swim here in winter. They believe in the therapeutic effect of frozen water.

Fact No. 42. Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg has a very strange selection of attractions: a pair of 15th-century sphinxes from Egypt on the embankment and a museum of biological curiosities, where you can see the skeleton and heart of the giant servant of Peter the Great.

Fact No. 43. 1,800 skiers and snowboarders in bikinis and swimsuits descended the slopes of Sheregesh to get into the Guinness Book of Records.

Fact No. 44. Russia has ambitious plans to build a highway 20 thousand kilometers long that will connect the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Fact No. 45. Russia is home to the longest river in Europe - the Volga. Its length is 3,690 kilometers, it has more than 200 tributaries, and the total length together with them is approximately 357 thousand kilometers.

Fact No. 46. Perhaps Russia's labor camps, known as the Gulag, will turn into tourist camps in the near future. This was stated by the tourism department in the Republic of Sakha. This is how they want to attract travelers.

Fact No. 47. Every year about 10 thousand British tourists visit Russia, but 90% of them go to Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Fact No. 48. About 250 kilometers north of Moscow is the city of Uglich. It houses a red and white church overlooking the Volga. The temple marks the place where he was killed in 1591, presumably on the orders of Boris Godunov, younger son Ivan the Terrible and the last descendant of the Rurik dynasty, eight-year-old Dmitry. After this event, unrest began in the country, and an investigation into this case began in Moscow. As a result, they came to the conclusion that the boy fell and accidentally ran into a knife. "Seven times!" - the locals added bitterly.

Fact No. 49. In Russia there is the coldest place on the planet where people live - Oymyakon. On February 6, 1933, a temperature of -67.7 degrees was recorded here.

Fact #50. The Russians once built a round warship. And here is his model:

Fact No. 51. In 1908, the Russian Olympic team arrived in London 12 days late because they were still using the Julian calendar.

Fact No. 52. The Terek-Sami language of the Kola Peninsula is on the verge of extinction. Only two people speak it.

Fact No. 53. You can buy an old stamp on the street in small tobacco shops.

Fact No. 54. Henri Troyat, in his biography of Peter the Great, wrote that the emperor, as a child, loved his soldiers so much that he executed by hanging a rat that had the imprudence to bite off the head of one of the toys. Peter I also introduced a tax on beards.

Fact No. 55. There is a cafe in Russia where everything is free, but you pay for the time spent in the establishment. A few years ago, its branch opened in London.

Fact No. 56. Lake Karachay is a dump for nuclear waste. It is very radioactive, if you stand near it for an hour it will almost kill you.

Fact No. 57. In one museum in St. Petersburg, Rasputin's severed penis was exhibited as an exhibit. glass jar. Experts doubt how true this is, but still...

Fact #58. People in Russia simply love DVRs.

Fact No. 59. Apparently, Russia is building ski resort military themes.

It often happens that the reputation that a particular city has has serious grounds. Few doubt that Rio's favelas are not the most safe place on earth or that Berlin is the center youth culture on a global scale. However, sometimes you just want to look at home country through the eyes of people who got there for the first time, who managed to see things in Russia that we ourselves, in the turmoil of our days, stopped noticing.

In this collection you will find several short stories about what foreigners expected from this or that Russian city and what they actually found there.

Moscow

Aaron Kenneth, 21, USA, soon to be an English teacher in Vladimir.

I've always imagined Moscow as a jaded version of New York. I thought I was here busy with business businessmen scurry about their business, daring politicians control development folk culture, and crowds of crooks roam the streets.

After

I was amazed by the beauty around me, regardless of whether it was the monument to Yuri Gagarin or the picturesque boulevards in the area Chistye Prudy. In addition, people in Moscow turned out to be quite kind and sympathetic, especially in the metro.

Novosibirsk

Jerry Bayer, 46, USA, writer, analyst and director of New Directions Study Abroad.

I arrived in Siberia by train in January. Before, I had heard something about Novosibirsk, but I decided to see the city with my own eyes. To be honest, I expected to see a rather boring, very Soviet city with unfriendly residents and terrible frosts.

After

It is worth saying that it was really very cold. But still, the city itself and the people seemed charming to me. I visited a beautiful cathedral, a museum of the history of the West Siberian Railway and a small art gallery. But most of all I liked the ice town on the Ob River embankment, in which several ice slides were installed. Just imagine the picture: an adult American is joyfully sliding down an ice slide with small children in the bitter cold. It's hard to come up with something better.

Nizhny Novgorod

Jerke Verschoor, 37, Netherlands, director of Director Nuffic Neso Russia.

I once read that in Soviet times Nizhny Novgorod was called Gorky and was a closed city. I knew nothing more about it, except that the city is located on the Volga River and there is a beautiful Kremlin in it.

After

I was seriously impressed - thanks in part to the good weather - by the old part of the city, although it was still clear that many of the fine old wooden buildings were in need of renovation. But people were very kind to me, and that, I think, is the most important thing.

Vladivostok

Jonathan Blaisdell, 26, USA, analyst.

All my knowledge of Vladivostok consisted of obscure facts gleaned from computer game GTA IV.

After

Vladivostok is certainly not a forgotten border post in the middle of nowhere. Above all, it is a fascinating crossroads of many Asian cultures. Where else can you dine in a North Korean restaurant, sip sake aboard an old Soviet submarine and enjoy breathtaking views while riding an anti-aircraft gun in an old fortress? All this can be done in Vladivostok.

Saint Petersburg

Randian Leyshon, 29, USA, journalist and administrator at Johns Hopkins University.

The volunteer organization I was supposed to spend the summer participating in suddenly changed my destination, so I went to the land of white nights and the Cyrillic alphabet without knowing anything about it.

After

St. Petersburg fascinated me so much that in the end it all ended with me spending several summer holidays in his teenage years, working in the city. Secluded nooks and crannies architectural masterpieces only fueled my obsession with this beautiful city. The city, often called the window to Europe, became the window to the rest of my life.

Champagne bottles tied to an air conditioner, a horse cart at a gas station, a submarine on the beach, cutting a watermelon with a chainsaw, a head-on collision with an ambulance and police car , and many other facets of Russian ingenuity are extremely amazing" flat"The Western mindset...

The list of their photo collections about our country, and surprised and sometimes admiring comments is almost endless. But at the same time, they have something in common that always catches the eye - selections made by foreigners and their reviews speak mainly about the ingenuity or, at most, recklessness of Russians and Russia itself, while extremely rarely having a negative connotation.

You almost never see vile photos with simply drunk and dirty people.

“Russian women are tough, especially compared to British women. They also jump with a parachute, but ours are afraid to type even a couple of these lines without breaking their plastic nails.”, - the English newspaper laments The Sun.

“Russian desperate guys, they constantly risk their lives, even for the sake of things that we don’t understand.”- states The Daily Mail.

“These strange Russians are capable of anything, in Russia you can easily see how a tow truck is taken away by another tow truck, which is evacuating a car, cold water is pouring into an electric kettle, in which a hole has been made and already warm water pours into a sink or like a police car driving along railroad tracks"- the American tabloid admires.

This position and perception of Russia by residents of the collective West has long been an established norm. And there is nothing strange about this.

We are different, our mentality varies significantly, and values ​​often have no points of intersection. Sometimes it gets funny when in a video from an Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, in the Novosibirsk experiment with boiling water in the cold of minus forty-seven degrees, when boiling water poured from the seventh floor evaporates before reaching the asphalt - residents of Austria saw a live fly near the balcony, and immediately wrote that the Russians are so " unstoppable"that even their flies are the same, although some of them stubbornly argued that Russian flies are not flies, but" mosquitoes in sweatshirts".

The British are amazed by Siberian women in bikinis, skating in 30-degree frost, the American press is terribly impressed by the breadth of the Russian soul, the Germans are stunned by the illogicality, scope and degree, as they call it, of Russian madness, and so on throughout the Western Hemisphere...

And in general, such definitions are understandable. Anything that does not fit into the templates and goes beyond the boundaries of established norms of behavior accepted in the West is called madness. How else? Moreover, this concerns not only you and me, they are also accustomed to labeling each other. Call the English - prim, arrogant snobs, the Scots - curmudgeons, the Italians - temperamental, the Finns - inhibited, the Jews - cunning, the Germans - pedantic, the Italians - talkers... But no one will ever understand the Russians, they say, too much of their behavior does not fit into the norm - “they are such crazy people”...

An American will never look for a way out of the current situation. difficult situation himself, just as a German, Austrian, French or Canadian will not do this - they will persistently contact the people or services responsible for this. Call service, call a tow truck, hire a person specially responsible for turning television antennas or screwing a screw into the wall.

At the same time, they will convincingly prove that Russians are crazier than themselves, and there is no other country like it. Although in the end, Americans always add that “ Russia is still cool. If only they were our neighbors instead of this idiotic Canada”.

Especially recently, when news about Russia constantly flashes on TV screens all over the world. Foreigners simply began to react more often to certain links that say at least something about Russians.

And this is not bad, if only because good videos, which shows Russian drivers removing snow from the brake lights of the car in front of them, stopping in traffic to move a grandmother across the road or removing a kitten from the roadway, has now become widely distributed with headlines in English. After all, this is something that their media does not show, which means it is practically forbidden, which is why it is successful today all over the world. What was watched in Russia at least a year ago is now being reposted with the following comment: I"ve Never Seen Anything So Beautiful. This Video From Russia Made The Whole World Cry. A Must Watch!

And Russian ingenuity is once again “conquering the Western World”! And the ability of Russians to easily laugh in the face of difficulties and DANGER evokes deep respect! GENERALIZATION

Much has changed in recent years, the country has changed, turning into a new, Polite Russia, people have changed, loving their Motherland and starting to be proud of it, patriotism has been revived, and in the world at this time, despite the frenzied information aggression, the image of Russia is renewing every day , is gaining more and more respect.

This is noticeable even in small ways, because all the photographs given in the article are exclusively from American, British and Austrian sites, forums, and collections, and the comments of users who viewed them have a positive coloration.

Americans are crazy too n_tongue: Challenge breeds excellence...(challenges breed excellence) / robin yates: I much prefer Russian crazy because they laugh while they are being crazy (I prefer Russian "crazy people" because they laugh while they are crazy). And so on...

However, of course, there are other collections of this kind, including on English language with the most negative content, they can usually be found on Russian resources, and the people posting them, in nine cases out of ten, are current Ukrainians, Latvians, Poles, and so on, which is extremely unpleasant, since these photos are selections for the Western public, deliberately contain only drunken Russians from the 90s, dirt, destroyed houses and indecent awkward moments. However, the Internet has no boundaries, and on one of these forums with deliberately denigrating content, a user from our country named “Tamara” left her review; I would like to quote her comment in full and without changes.

Go to....! You photographed all the craziest things that have ever happened in Russia! You, everyone who does this, are pi....rs. This is “shit” about us! We were the first to fly into space, we invented anesthesia, you will never learn our language and you will never break our will! You won't survive what we went through! You will choke on your negativity. We don't give up, dumbasses. Our women are the most beautiful, and our men are real. And no one will break us.

I want live in Russia! It is a great country!

I’ll just add to what was said above and remind all our ill-wishers of the words of the President of Russia: