August 25, 2002
导读：莫斯科(俄罗斯首都)介绍。
Moscow is maddening,
sprawling1 and
chaotic2, still
scruffy3 in places. And yet it is also
stunningly4 beautiful and
vibrant5, rich with history, culture and art.
More than a decade after the collapse6 of the Soviet7 Union(苏联<1922-1991>), Moscow has still not entirely8 shaken off its Soviet past. More than a few restaurants, hotels and museums seem determined9 to keep alive Soviet traditions of customer service, but the city is undergoing a rebirth that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. New boutique hotels(精品旅馆) are opening, while old hotels are being renovated10 to European standards. Restaurants, expensive and not so expensive, offer foods from all over the world.
It would be wrong to say the city is a Phoenix11 rising from the ashes since it never really fell that far, despite seven decades of Soviet rule and a tumultuous transition to a quasi-capitalistic quasi-democracy. It is fair to say, though, that it is regaining12 its place as one of Europe's thriving, intriguing13 capitals.
The government is now campaigning to make Moscow a tourism capital as well, trying to ease some of the difficulties that seem intended to repel14 tourists. Very few signs are in any language other than Russian, though the city's handsome Metro15 plans to start posting station names in the Latin alphabet, as well as the Russian Cyrillic(西里尔字母). The cumbersome16, expensive visa-application process requires a letter of invitation (if you're traveling on your own, a Moscow hotel can often arrange one; otherwise, tour operators can do it). Nathela O. Shengelia, director of Russia's new Department of Tourism, is lobbying to ease those rules and end the irritating tradition of charging foreigners more at museums and churches.
Moscow, in the end, is worth the petty annoyances17, and fall is an ideal time to visit. The short, hot summer has ended, and the long, cold winter has not yet begun. Although the city has experienced sensational18, Mafia-style crimes, it is remarkably19 safe and clean, especially in the center. The city's tourism Web site, www.moscow-guide.ru, says it as only Russians can: ''As beautiful as ever, despite all crises and misfortunes!''
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