Well, just as the G20 was arriving in London, I was flying out. I’d already caught the “Obama Show” live in Washington, D.C., at the inauguration. And while I was bummed to leave the city, it was time to head east to the land of my ancestors. Sort of the land of my ancestors, because when the Schwartz family was hanging in Kiev, it was part of Russia. Revolutions and machinations later, it’s now Ukraine. (And revolutions and machinations later, the Schwartzes wound up in Brooklyn, New York, City and Boca Raton, among other places.)
Back to the trip.
The flight from London is a little over 4 four hours. By the time you wake up, you can look out the window and swear you are flying over Michigan on your way to Detroit metro.
Gray skies, brown trees, white snow. Welcome to the land where they formerly sported CCCP jerseys. Welcome to Mockba!
On the ground at Domodedovo Airport, immigration is a little chaotic. 350 people. Five grumpy passport inspectors. No formal lines. Ah, the joys of international travel. By the way, if you’re looking for a taxi, this is the place to be. No less than 30 guys came up to me and simply said, “Taxi?” “Taxi?” “Taxi?”
Unlike LAX, this airport had my luggage at the carousel. (By the way, just a reminder…DON’T CHECK THE WORK. You can lose your underwear, you can lose your suit; but the creative flies in the overhead bin–no matter where you are.) Fortunately, we’re going to present everything on keynote and pdf, so we’re safe.
On to Moscow.
The drive into the city is like any drive from airport to city. You start rural, you see some scattered homes, and as you get closer, your start to see our familiar urban life come alive.
By the way, on the drive into Moscow, you’ll see some spectacular Russian Orthodox churches. Amazing, orb-like forms of cerulean blue–so distinctly Russian. There’s also your fair share of big-box stores and strip malls. If you looked out quickly, without thinking, you’d swear you were on Queens Boulevard.
Things get really exciting as you start to see the Moscow River and some amazing architecture. It’s what the Russians call the “Stalinist Skyscrapers.” Gothic, yet so uniquely Soviet.
My heart then began to skip a few beats when I started to see Red Square unfold. The brick wall around it is imposing and magnificent. I saw several soldiers parading in their distinctive olive-colored coats with red accents.
Then, out of nowhere, St. Basil’s Church just explodes with color and energy. Its truly incredible “onion” domes lifting your spirit and beckoning you to take a closer look. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance after our meetings.
Checked in and had an excellent Armenian dinner with some colleagues from our TBWA\RUSSIA team and our TBWA\CENTRAL ASIA team, which is based in Kazakhstan (not to be confused with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan.)
Armenian cuisine? Excellent. Great cheese, eggplant salad and kebabs – your choice of chicken, lamb and beef. Yummy rice too and Russian beer.
Kazakhstanian cuisine? Let’s just say TBWA\CA managing director, Shukhrat Shipulin, made a pretty interesting case for “kazy” (aka horsemeat.) Of course, if you think kazy sounds crazy, don’t try the “karta.” Apparently, it’s made with ingredients from a horse’s rectum.
Tomorrow, we learn all about the Russian market, which is critical for Visa. Lots of creative opportunity, and I’ll take copious notes, I promise.
By the way, if you want to learn more about the great city of Moscow, go here. To learn more about Kazakhstan, go here.
Thanks for reading.
Rob Schwartz is the ECD of TBWA\CHIAT\DAY in Los Angeles.
This is the first of an occasional series of his comings and goings.
If you have any comments or suggestions please email Rob Schwartz.
