The British media warned of hooliganism, ISIS threatened a terrorist attack, and my friends joked of stolen kidneys. To be honest, it was a mix of anticipation and apprehension before I first set foot in Russia for this assignment.

But here I am, a five-week convert, from whom the only thing stolen is a piece of my heart, much like almost every tourist and foreign media representative I have spoken to who have fallen in love with this big and beautiful country.