Getting to Russia is not easy. It's not just that Moscow is remote, hundreds of miles away - even from central Europe. That is part of the problem, but it's more. It is hard to buy train tickets, their website only works in Russian. There are not a lot of airlines that fly there, but then that could be because they're not a lot of tourists who go there and that could be because Russia seems to go out of its way to make things difficult.
It starts with your Visa. Almost everyone requires a visa to visit Russia. That is not all that unusual. I have dealt with that before. In 1980 before the Berlin wall came down, MC and I traveled through Eastern Europe. We needed visas, so we got them. You get to the country, they interview you, take a few coins from you and let you in.
Not Russia. It's a little more complicated. Step one, you fill out their form. The form of Americans use is used by just two other countries -- the United Kingdom and Georgia. Yes, we are in the same class as Georgia, the country they were shooting at only a couple of years ago. Then they want the name, address and a contact person at every school you attended since high school and all your jobs for the last 10 years. Then, they charge you $140, but only after you pay your hotel $35 to issue you an "invitation". Then, they won't accept your paperwork by mail, so you either walk it in to a consulate or send your passport to a stranger and pay them to walk again. Five weeks later, you may get your passport back with a visa in it.
I walked mine in.
The process is enough to give you second thoughts about going. You wonder, if things were easier wouldn't more people visit? And wouldn't that be good for Russia? So what gives?
Well, its easier to understand after you check out how the US treats visitors from Russia. Believe it or not it is worse. They have to go for an interview and surprise! The Visa costs... can you guess? $140.
So in the grand tradition of US-Russian relations, we play tit for tat. Some things never change.
I'm older than you guys, and used to travel behind the iron curtain too. I swear that I once arrived in Moscow circa 1973 with no visa. Not only was I welcomed, not charged a fee, but was given 3 days free by Intourist in a hotel and taken by a guide around Moscow along with the other idiots who had arrived with no visas. I miss those commies badly. Such courteous foes.
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