It was a few months before the opening of the Football World Cup when fans from Pakistan decided to watch the living legends of the great game in action for themselves.
Shayan and Azka Toor, who hail from Lahore in Pakistan and are frequent travellers, have enjoyed the hospitality in different countries across the world.
However, for them, Russia had never been a hotspot for tourism in their eyes.
According to Shayan, it was only because the World Cup was announced and since he was a football fan he thought of giving Russia a go.
“Usually it is Europe or America that comes to mind when planning for a holiday and for us Russia was never really a possible holiday destination. But when we researched the country, its history and architecture, we were really interested to go there.”
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“Initially we thought that there might be some sort of language barrier or the people might not be that friendly. Even my parents were sceptical if it was the right decision.”
However when they arrived and met the locals, all their worries and concerns were over.
“It was a surprise. We met some really nice people and enjoyed every bit of Russia.”
“We saw people of all ages, be it kids, teenagers, seniors, and families; everyone was having an excellent time and participating in every activity.
They were extremely warm and caring and took care of us as best as they could. At the hotel, restaurants and on the streets, we were welcomed with open arms.”
Shayan and Azka met residents from various countries, exchanged gifts and even made new friends.
“There were people from many countries and they were supporting their own nations. For us, it was different. As Pakistan did not qualify for the World Cup yet the football was made in Pakistan, we, along with a group of friends, chanted slogans such as ‘Listen all, listen all, we made the World Cup ball!’ which was extremely well received and people actually joined us to do the same."
During their tour of Russia, they visited Moscow, Saransk and St Petersburg.
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Now, with the World Cup over and back in their homeland, Shayan and Azka say their experience was extremely memorable.
“It was a surprise. We met some really nice people and enjoyed every bit of Russia.”
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