`Much nicer than expected`: World Cup fans size up modern Moscow
(The Guardian Russia)

Russian capital has changed perhaps more than any other European city in recent yearsOn Tuesday as Moscow was bathed in warm sunshine, the streets around Red Square gave a hint as to what is in store over the next few weeks as the World Cup comes to town. A dozen flag-waving Moroccans walked through the cavernous interiors of the GUM department store, singing in perfect harmony; a Russian family posed for photographs with a quartet of Mexicans in oversized sombreros behind the domes of St Basil´s Cathedral; and three Peruvians clad in their team´s colours joined thousands of locals strolling around the newly landscaped Zaryadye Park in central Moscow. Related: Traffic, shashlik and craft beer: what World Cup fans can expect in Russia | Andrew Roth Continue reading...