What to bring to Moscow



Or rather, what not to bring to Moscow.  Long gone are the days of not being able to find things in Russia's capital city.   You name it, you can probably find it here.  If your with the Embassy, you can certainly most definitely find it here.

Seriously there is almost nothing food wise you should bring.  Maybe if you eat a lot of ethnic food?  Although I spotted chipotles in adobe sauce at the fancy grocery store just yesterday…I cook a lot at home and I can find everything with some looking.  Spices, baking supplies and don't get me started on toilet paper!  There are numerous people I know who ship it in.  They should be laughed at often.  Or something.  There are at least three brands of excellent TP available here.  Zewa something or other, the Kleneex with the yellow labradors frolicking on the label and the lamb brand.  Just stay away from the ones with strawberries or peaches dancing in the background…and no, it is not ruinously expensive and we have a healthy COLA anyway.

Before we came I got a long list of things to bring from a diplomats wife from another country.  She needed to get out more or else things have changed wildly since she left the summer we arrived.  You do not need to bring toothbrushes.  You do not need to bring toothpaste, unless your fussy child will only use orange flavored Tom's brand…not that I know any children like that.  I ship in only special laundry powder packets because two members of my household are delicate allergic flowers and tiny bottles of Mite-Away as one of those delicate flowers has to have his bedding/jackets/hats washed in the stuff.

What should you bring?  A guide book!  A phone that you can put a translation app on and a Metro map.  And appropriate snow clothes and jackets.  In fact, if you arrive in summer, you should bring fleece type jackets, some sweaters, even a hat and rain gear with you.  And as for any post, a good attitude and sense of adventure!

2 comments

  1. Well said. I had to bite my tongue more than once by the shipments I saw in the Ro. It's the FOREIGN Service for a reason people.

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