Russian People

We suffered for a long time in the West from anti communist propaganda which caricatured the Russian people. On top of this they got a bad showing when tourists started to visit and could not understand why people who looked like them and lived in smilar cities etc should behave differently. For example, the smile - in Russia strangers do not smile at each other. There is no hostility, just bland indifference. A shop assistant will serve and say please and thank you but generally with a solemn expression. Western insincerity is creeping in though, which is a pity because once you get accustomed to the Russian way you are pleased not be told to 'have a good day' through a clenched smile!
Whilst walking the forest paths near the dacha you can pass a similar being, out for a stroll and, unless they are known to you, pass by without any acknowledgement of each other's presence. This would be unheard of in Yorkshire!
So the Western visitor can feel as if they are being treated in a hostile way. This is simply not true. Smiles and friendly greetings are reserved for friends and people to whom you are already kindly disposed.
If you want to feel a real Russian welcome you must get to know some real Russian people. If you are invited into their homes then the warmth and friendliness is wonderful. They feed you, water you and make your visit into a party. After having had the Western capitalist imperialist portrayed as some sort of aggressive ogre I wonder if this treatment is a display of relief at discovering that we are just like them.

The women!
There is a disproportionately higher number of women than men in Russia. Add to this that many of the women range from moderately attractive to absolutely gorgeous, and that debilitating rampant PC feminism is not well established, then a visit to Russia can be a trip to the sweet shop for the average red blooded hetrosexual male. There are head-turners everywhere and there are not enough Russian men to keep them all happy! I should know I married one these head-turners :-)

The men.
The Russian men I know personally are gentle, well mannered and pleasant. They are also good company and they all drink - some more than others.
The drinking of vodka is something of a curse on Russian manhood. It is cheap and readily available and the culture that surrounds it is dangerous:
Russian man: Why do you sip at your vodka?
Western visitor: I don't want to get drunk.
Russian man: Then why drink vodka at all?
And that sums it up - you drink vodka to get drunk. I like a vodka and there are ways to down it like a real Russian without getting legless; but that's another story.

Do svedanya,
Graham