This trip to Moscow was like no other… First of all, the main purpose was for our kids to meet their great grandparents. Second, it was both of theirs first ever trip to Russia. Many people told me I’d be amazed at how beautiful Moscow has become. I can’t say I noticed too many changes since 8.5 years ago. I was more surprised by electronic queue ticket dispenser at the Local Documents Office and the lack of physical queues to get documentation done to be completely honest. But I was amazed at the scale of the city: it’s massive. It’s 5 lanes each way on major city roads in the very heart of the city. You can get stuck in traffic at 1am at night. The escalators inside the subway are so long you won’t need your gym membership if you walk up and down on a regular basis. And it is very densely populated and quite polluted. I was a little disappointed by the things erected right at the Red Square (for the military parade the first week of our stay and celebration of “1000 days to FIFA”) and all major squares in the city (for the fall harvest celebrations). Overall, it’s grande. It’s like no other. It’s one of the places you have to see once in your lifetime. I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into our first day in Moscow.