In March 1987 I went to Moscow with my own money, I was 19 and flew from Helsinki to Moscow. I stayed there for three days, I went to many places such as one department store GUM (still exists), I bought there a Soviet flag and four long cigars. When I returned back to Helsinki I planned to stay at the railway station for a nght, but they closed it and then one young woman offered me a sleeping place at her apartment in Hakaniemi, Helsinki, I slept well and nothing happened, before I left in the morning (March 1987) I offered her one cigar, but she did not take it and so I kept all four for myself and smoked these in Lappeenranta where I had rented one room for my studies. Somehow I have always liked cigars, but she could have take one cigar and given it to her boyfriend. GUM is very near the Kremlin.
I loved the simplicity of your writing here, i was able to imagine the journey as if it was mine own. thank you for writing this
Wow that would have been just a few years before the communist regime collapsed ay? Would have been so fascinating and surreal.
Cool story!
Then in March 1989 I was in Leningrad for three weeks for my Russian studies. They actually smoked Soviet tobacco âmakhorkaâ, it smelled very bad, I remember stories how some Soviets migrated to Israel in the end of the Cold War and there people asked what these Soviets were smoking, because they thought it smelled terrible. I never tried Makhorka tobacco (only cigars) but here is one pic.
We still use the word âmahorcÄâ here for bad quality tobacco 
Edit: after ww2, Soviets occupied our country for a decade or so before retiring their troops.
love hearing your tails @mjseu
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