Russian tourists who visited Europe in autumn spoke about their fears

Russian tourists who visited Europe in autumn spoke about their fears



"For the first time in my life I didn't feel safe"

Despite visa difficulties (a de facto boycott), Europe remains a desirable tourist destination for some Russians. However, a cloudless holiday in the EU for our compatriots can no longer be called. The two main irritants are the austerity regime and sidelong glances at the Russians. What exactly frightened our tourists who returned from the EU this fall, MK found out.

There are two visual differences in Europe compared to peaceful times: on the one hand, desolation and darkness where a couple of years ago there were evening lights and shops. On the other hand, there are Ukrainian flags, slogans and slogans, which are striking in many places.

- Many familiar shops are closed, in small towns in the evenings they save electricity and turn off street lights, - says Natalya Sorokina, who returned from Italy. - In general, the atmosphere is rather sad, it started during the covid, but this year it became especially noticeable. In the evenings, it really gets scary, because you leave the hotel and you can’t see beyond three steps.

- Rows of empty shops, a closed huge shopping center, a very sad sight, - describes a recent visit to Finland, the owner of a long-term "Schengen" from pre-Covid times, Yana B. - The familiar owner of the house on the lake is very sad: the business was designed for Russian tourists, back in covid began to burn out, but endured in the hope of opening the borders. Now, perhaps, many establishments will close for good.

The increase in prices in euros - now, due to jumps in energy prices, consumer prices have risen significantly throughout the European Union - does not add enthusiasm to the locals either, but it is especially noticeable to tourists. “I bought, as was customary in past years, cheese, but less than before, because the prices were somewhat surprising,” says Anna, the owner of a residence permit in Spain. “A piece of cheese that cost a couple of years ago one and a half to two euros is now approaching five in price.”

Experienced visitors to the EU, like locals, also know workarounds: “smuggling” shops, where everything is cheaper for some reason, but not from the European Union. As the interlocutor of MK said, in such a store she bought Turkish cheese because of its cheapness - however, as it turned out, it is inferior in taste not only to French and Italian ones, but also, for example, to cheeses from Kostroma. Conclusion: it seems that it is gradually becoming unprofitable to carry products on a plane with transfers, if we are not talking about rarities.

Finally, Russian tourists report a strong irritant in the form of Ukrainian symbols and anti-Russian posters everywhere. “In Finland, yellow and blue lanterns seem to be looking out of most shop windows, corresponding posters and graffiti everywhere, in the most apolitical places,” says Yana B. According to her, sidelong glances at a car with Russian numbers also put pressure on the psyche.

“You go out into the street, it’s dark, and you understand that for the first time in my life in Europe I don’t feel safe,” says a tourist who visited Finland. “But that’s what we’ve been coming here for for many years, among other things.”

Read also: "Russians massively complain about not being allowed to board aircraft in Europe"



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