A decade ago I had the biggest standoff I’ve ever had with my wife. She demanded we leave Russia.

I spent most of my teen years away from Russia but Moscow was my home. I was studying abroad — first in the US, then England — but would be back In Moscow for every school break.

I missed Moscow during my boarding school years and missed it even more when I was at university because my girlfriend (Natasha — now my wife of over twenty years, the hero of this story!) was in Moscow.