Russia 2018 World Cup Notebook - Day 24

Nizhny Novgorod’s final taste of action

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Then 45,000-seater Nizhny Novgorod Stadium hosted its last match on Friday when highflying France beat two-time champions Uruguay 2-0 in the quarter-finals on Friday. The brand new stadium, located in Nizhny Novgorod city on the Volga River in western Russia, was built specifically for the 2018 World Cup and hosted five other matches, namely the Group ‘D’ match between Argentina and Croatia, England’s Group ‘G’ match with Panama, Switzerland’s Group ‘E’ match with Costa Rica, Sweden’s Group ‘F’ match with South Korea and Croatia and Denmark (round of 16).

Breath-taking Space Shuttle Museum sight to behold

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Russians are very proud of their success in exploration of outer space. The Soviet Union was the first country to send man to outer space in 1961 when Yury Gagarin completed an orbit of the earth aboard Vostok spacecraft on June 1, 1961.

That proud moment has been preserved inside the Space Shuttle Museum in Prospekt Mira, Moscow. The museum details how Soviet space science evolved starting from first man-made satellites, first manned space flight, first space walks, moon exploration, solar system exploration programmes and Russia’s international space research programmes.

Want to study in Russia? Here’s how

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Mastery of Russian language can make the difference between passing your exams and failing here, my schoolmate, Otieno Ongowo of Qatar Airways, who studied aeronautical engineering at Samara State Aerospace University in Russia told me. Kenyan students on Russian scholarships at the Peoples Friendship University of Russia say the first year is spent studying Russian language that is discipline-specific. That means those studying engineering are taught Russian words relating to engineering. After that, one learns the Cyrillic alphabet.

When in Moscow, visit iconic Bolshoi theatre

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Other than Moscow Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral, the Bolshoi Theatre is one of the landmarks of the Russian capital. The iconic structure was originally designed by architect Joseph Bove, son of a painter from Naples who settled in Russia in 1782. The Bolshoi Theatre holds ballets and opera performances as well as staged plays.

My Russian acquaintance told me it is the place to be if one wants to watch staged plays in a classical setting. Tickets to the main stage (Historical Stage) can cost anything from 1,300 to 6,500 Russian Rubbles (between Sh1,950 and Sh9,750). There is no strict dress code at the Bolshoi Theatre, but people wearing shorts and t-shirts are not allowed in as these are considered too casual.