Moscow (1 of 4)
Sunlight glinting off gold-domed churches. Scantily clad women emerging from sleek cars. Uniformed soldiers marching across vast Red Square. This is Moscow - the political, economic and cultural capital that so defines this massive nation. Russia's earliest roots are in Moscow: the Kremlin still shows off the splendour of Muscovy's grand princes and St Basil's Cathedral still recounts the defeat of the Tatars. Moscow also recalls Russia's more recent past, still fresh in our memories. On Red Square, the founder of the Soviet state lies embalmed. Just kilometers away, his heir rallied before the White House - leading to the demise of the same state.
Moscow continues to make history. It is unfolding on every street corner, as Muscovites move into the 21st century, embracing the global culture of the modern era. With the same purposeful optimism that their predecessors looked 'forward to communism!', Muscovites today are looking forward to the opportunities promised by the New Russia. They are breaking down the barriers of generations past - political boundaries, cultural taboos and ideological stricture - and exploring the possibilities of consumerism, creativity and career. Moscow is the epicentre of New Russia and everything that it represents. It boasts commerce and culture that most provincial Russians can only dream about. Nowhere are Russia's contrasts more apparent than in Moscow: ancient monasteries and ultramodern monoliths stand side by side, and New Russian millionaires and poverty-stricken pensioners walk the same streets.
For all of its status-consciousness, Moscow is a bourgeois city. Driving Hummers and dressing in Armani are privileges reserved for a small - albeit visible - elite.
