This picture shows a row of shops with no indication from outside what they are selling.
Some newer buildings are appearing, baby shopping malls, but these are generally very exclusive shops (think fur and diamonds), and you can't see what shops are inside until you go in. Restaurants and cafes are similar, so every door is an adventure, albeit a somewhat daunting one occasionally.
Last night I went to a bar/restaurant with some colleagues. We walked through concrete and steel tower blocks, mud and puddles (looking forward to the freezing temperatures so we don't have to puddle dodge!) and came to a steel door with a small sign next to it. We went in, down some stairs, and it opened into a huge bar area (think a small Chicagos or something similar in terms of size). We were led upstairs into an equally large restaurant area with luxurious looking fittings and soft furnishings (owned by a well-connected local apparently...) and had a good meal, accompanied by, a rowing boat in the middle of the floor, walls containing fish tanks, background music and women in high heels and short skirts dancing. An interesting and not unpleasant experience with an very varied but Russian-focussed menu. They also had menus in English, which says a lot about the customers they get (ex pats are rare but - other than the teachers - generally wealthy)
My point is that this isn't the kind of place I'm used to. There is no obvious centre or focus to this city. A lot of places are behind closed doors and you need to know the right people to tell you where they are (and preferably to go with you the first time). Even the 'ethnic' market is behind gates and not obviously visible from the road. I've been wondering why this is and can only think that it is a result of the communist past when if you had lots you didn't flaunt it as obviously as is the case now, and if you didn't have anything you were hidden away from everyone else. Things are changing but a lot of the culture clearly remains.
Good article and a nice insight into another Russian city to which I have never been but sounds all too familiar.
ReplyDeleteMost cities don't have a centre as we'd understand it in the UK. If you want to buy a number of things for the house, you often have to travel between regions to find them. What can take an hour in Cambridge, takes about a day in Krasnoyarsk.
I don't agree though with your conclusion. Russian shops, restaurants and let's face it homes are usually in dingy looking places because no-one owns the building. The cost of maintaining the buildings is usually shared amongst all the tenants and when some are earning 5000 rubles and others earning 100,000 no one wants to invest in the outside. Insides however, as I'm sure you've found on many occassions are quite another thing.
Oh, and to say that Russians don't flaunt because of communism I find amusing. I always thought it the otherway around. Fur coats, high heels, armani suits, land cruisers ... these days the motto is - if you've got it, flaunt it! (At least among the younger generations)
Interesting comments, thanks Rich. I only see these things being flaunted in places that already have money though (for example last night's restaurant), although that is quite possibly just because the rich wouldn't be seen dead in the poorer areas. I do agree with your conclusion about the outside of the buildings but that doesn't explain the lack of visibility of what is inside a building.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm from Nizh. And, in fact, I'm in Nizh now.. You see, the city used to be veeeery small back then, sort of a big village, couple of blocks, 2 floor houses, 3 shops, 1 diner.. Need I continue) Most of the people used to come here to work for a month, then they returned home for a month till the next shift. There was no particular use in decorations. As the population grew, people just knew where to go to find something. And the city's very young still. So even my 16yo brother know what do they sell at those blue shops on the pic)
ReplyDeleteWow that's great to have a comment from a local - thank you for taking the time to read :-)
ReplyDeleteNot at all) It's always interesting to read such reviews, isn't it?
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