FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

As a subscriber, I receive my magazine well in advance and usually refrain from opening it until said month. Being short of reading material, my husband pestered me to allow him early access to the January 2018 issue and then gave a running commentary on the bits he thought I would enjoy, particularly Alan Cochrane’s column on returning to Russia [Times change, p36].

I too have recently returned from a 30th anniversary trip to St Petersburg and was equally disappointed in the lack of commemoration around the revolution’s centenary. In 1987 there were banners and flags everywhere marking the 70th anniversary.

St Petersburg has changed massively since our last visit and Gostiny Dvor, the shopping mall which is referenced in the article, is a mixture of unbelievable bling and drabness.

But what stood out for us was the total lack of shoppers. I don’t agree with the writer in saying that it puts the UK to shame. I have never seen a mall in this country quite as deserted and as I write we are getting ready to collect our Christmas turkey which, for many Scots, would warrant a day’s outing, leaving home at least two hours before to find a parking space and then joining the masses, jampacked in the food aisles.

I think our Russian friends still have a way to go before they get the hang of commercialism but it was a fascinating place to visit. Angela Walker, Kelso