Glancing up at the large, over bearing building I struggled to read the large sign placed on the building side stating that it was indeed my hotel but it was in Russian. I took a deep breath in smelling the fresh falling snow and cringed when a snow flake fell upon my nose. I grudgingly rubbed my nose before sluggishly making my way to the large doors of the hotel. A tall Blond haired man in a suit came up beside me opening the door then bowing slightly to me, pressing a warm hand against my back as he guided me inside. My eyes widened at the gesture and I looked up at him slightly intimidated by his over whelming tall height but he gave me a large, welcoming smile and a few gentle pats on the back.
“You must be Miss Veronica, no? I am Nikolai, one of the tour guides” he asked with a heavy Russian accent, so heavy it was slightly hard to understand what he was saying. I pandered what he said, slightly confused. I gave him a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of my neck, heat pouring into my cheeks as he grabbed my bag off me with his free hand.
“That’s me” I said as he guided me towards what looked like the front desk. I could faintly hear cheering and clapping coming down the hall to my left and glanced down to see a door slightly ajar and flashing lights coming from there. I smiled at how happy they all sounded. Other than that I could hear small bells twinkling around me as others walked around the foyer in small groups or singly. I stood beside the larger man as he spoke rapid Russian to the front desk lady. I watched as the lady handed him a key sending me a welcoming smile much like Nikolais and he turned to me giving me the same smile yet again causing me to smile back.
“Let’s get you to your room. I bet your cold and tired, no?”his hand fall onto my back again as he guided me to a large elevator which was outlined in golden and silver patterns. The architecture in Russia never ceased to amaze me. It was one of the main reasons I came here. The elevator dinged, signalling that it was now at our floor. As the doors slid open I had to gather up what dignity I had left not to just stand there and gape at the nearly filled elevator. The elevator was filled with men in expensive looking suites and my god were they tall. I think if I stood next to one of them that I wouldn’t even reach their shoulders. I proved myself right when Nikolai gently pushed me inside and we became squished between each other making a slight blush come to my face. I could hear one man near the back talking in rabid Russian, too quick for me to understand. Whether or not he had an ear piece in was beyond me because I wasn’t able to see him talking to anyone due to the overly tall men in the elevator. To say the least, the scent that hit me was a homely one. It smelled of the snow, lavender and vodka mixed together and surprisingly enough it was welcoming and the scent wrapped around you like a blanket would on a cold night by the fireplace.
“Nikolai my friend!” The man closest to me boomed making me jump in fright. Nikolai beamed over at him and they bother reached over me, though it wasn’t exactly hard, and hugged as if it were a daily ritual. I stood still as they drew back and Nikolai chuckled once he saw the bewildered expression on my face. he turned back to his friend whilst placing a large hand upon my shoulder.
“It’s good to see you Merrik!” He said happily. Is it just me or were Russians a lot happier than people made them out to be? “I’d like you to meet little sunflower here! This is Miss Veronica, the youngest of the recent tour group”
Merrik smiled down at me before wrapping me into a hug shocking me greatly. Was this really a normal thing? To be completely honest I thought I’d feel unwelcome here, a stranger to a new culture. But it was completely different! Everyone was welcoming and treated you as if you were a part of some big family. Everything was calming and homey including the scent even if it was tinged with vodka. “It’s nice to meet you Miss Veronica! Look at you! So small and young! What made you travel to Russia?”
“It’s nice to meet you too... Uh Merrik. I came here because I’ve always loved the culture and wanted to see more of it. Im not going to lie, I was intimidated at first by all the larger people speaking so quickly and all of the stereotypes but everyone has been so friendly and I feel at home” I said smiling at the both of them making them smile sheepishly. I think I even seen a slight blush on both of their faces, which was most likely because of the compliment I gave them, making me giggle though you could see it hurt them slightly that people liked to stereotype them as rude and demanding people.
“Everyone is a part of one big family here in Russia!” Nikolai boomed as he patted my back reassuringly.
