Postcard from Russia

Back home now after a long and wonderfully inspirational six months in Europe, mostly in France but also in other places, I’m beginning to reflect on my experiences. One of the ones that stands out in my mind is the fulfilment of a long-held dream: to travel to Russia, to see a little of that extraordinary country, which I have been fascinated by since the age of about 11 or 12, when I first read what to my mind is easily Jules Verne’s best novel (though not well-known in anglophone countries), Michel Strogoff.

Set in Tsar Alexander II’s reign, it is a thrilling adventure story about young courier Michel Strogoff, who must journey across Russia to bring important news about a Tartar rebellion supported by a renegade Russian colonel named Ogareff, and who of runs into all kinds of dangers. It’s a wonderful story but what made it unforgettable to me was the picture it painted of Russia. After that, I read everything set in Russia that I could lay my hands on, and eventually in my…