Today we had a talk with the vice-president of the university we visited Friday. Being a very busy man, he unfortunately had to leave rather quickly, but luckily he brought some very knowledgeable people to educate us. First subject: Russian history. Did you know that Tatars are actually descendants from Mongols, who used to assimilate the cultures they conquered? After that, we listened to some information about studying in Russia.
We had lunch in a very nice place, called something like “the Food Market”. Each of us got this card that we could use to place orders at the various locations where we could get different kinds of food.
We got to visit the embassy this afternoon. Meeting the ambassador was a really unique experience. She told us the most interesting facts about what she and her colleagues do, and how the embassy operates. The head of the economic department also told us some nice things about the relations and hardships between Russia and The Netherlands.
Following the directions of a really friendly guy that worked at the embassy, we went for dinner at a restaurant in Old Arbat, a very lively street.
You know those shady doors that you can sometimes find next to banks, the glass plastered shut with some big commercial? Well, as it turns out, some of those doors are actually open, and behind it you just might find an equally shady hallway, together with some dark stairs. Only if you’re lucky enough, there will be a great bar at the top of those stairs! We had a drink at such a place, with our indeed very lucky group. A Russian friend of one of us even joined us for a beer and some good laughs.