Let's discuss Russian tour guides

[BOGOman]

We just returned from a Baltic Cruise and tour of St. Petersburg with Denrus, and Ljudmilla was our guide. We see that Denrus has several guides that were praised at this site, including Nadya and Ilya. Our guide, Ljudmilla, was a disaster because she was so hostile to Western ways and hostile to her own country men and women who are achieving and have adopted those ways.

 

I'm wondering how typical is it that Russian guides of any agency intensely dislike the cultures of those they serve as guides. How many are so controlling that they won't encourage questions or accept constructive comments? How do you think that responsible tour guides should behave?

[dougnewmanatsea]

I'm very sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction, and hope that you enjoyed St. Petersburg despite it.

 

We just had another member write a review with a less than favorable impression of this guide. I'll leave it up to that member, who knows who he is, to comment if he wants to say more on the subject.

 

As for my own experience, I took HAL excursions in St. Petersburg. All three of the guides I had seemed pleasant enough, though of course there is not as much personal interaction when one is with a large group.

 

None of them seemed hostile to foreigners, or to questions. In fact I felt that some of the members of our group were a bit culturally insensitive with some questions/comments and I felt that the guides handled it well. Of course, they ought to be used to this sort of thing, as it is their job.

 

I did not ask their opinions on politics, and they didn't offer them, except for one who mentioned in passing that she felt that Putin (a St. Petersburg native) was doing a lot for St. Petersburg. I don't especially want to know what their political opinions are, and I suspect they probably don't really want to know what mine are either... So I just stay away from that area of discussion. I don't usually ask strangers about politics at home, so I hardly would do it in another country. On the other hand, there is a fine line between political questioning and general, normal sorts of questions a tourist might ask. Tour guides really ought to be forgiving if, sometimes, we might cross over that line a bit as inevitably many of us will once in a while.

 

I mean, really, it would seem to be common sense that if one doesn't like foreigners, tour guide is probably not the ideal occupation... Just as one wouldn't usually become a nurse if one can't stand blood, or a teacher if one doesn't like children, or a veterinarian if one is afraid of dogs, and so on.

 

So in the end, I would say that guides should not be hostile to the visitors in their care. They should be open to questions about their culture and the people that live in their city/country, so long as they do not get too overtly political. To me, this is just common sense, and that is how it should be everywhere. Of course, there are cultural differences and such to account for, but I do not believe that hostility and nastiness are the norm in any culture, no matter what the differences from our own.

 

Personally, if you were unhappy with your experience, I'd suggest that contact the tour operator and let them know about your dissatisfaction, if you haven't already. If they are an upstanding firm, and they get enough complaints about one of their employees, then they will probably do something about it and save others from having the same experience you did.

[booper8]

We had Elena through Denrus who was excellent. I have nothing but good things to say about her.

[Begete]

We booked Denrus along with 22 other Cruisecritic participants. We were in three vans. I believe Elena was the guide for Van 2 and those in her van were also very pleased with her. We were in Van 3 and adored our guide, Oxanna. I do not know the name of the guide for Van #1, but the people in her van were not as happy with their guide.

 

One thing Oxanna told us was that she and most of the other guides were not direct employees of Denrus, but independent contractors.

[42trvl]

I think it's important, if at all possible, to request specific guides based on personal recommendations. We read a lot on these boards about the companies, and that is also important, but as stated, so much depends on your guide. While we were very pleased with DenRus as an operation, we also had Ludmilla, and there were definite pros and cons. Having been in the travel business and having traveled to the old Soviet Union, and dealt with Intourist (by whom she used to be employed), we kind of knew how to deal with her, push back when necessary and assert ourselves, and were able to take advantage of her knowledge and "know-how." But, it was not the easiest or most pleasant experience, and I would have a hard time recommending her. Especially when paying for a private tour, you want someone catering to you and your interests and allowing for some flexibility. Flexible she was not, and did not react kindly if you did not do things quite her way. Added to my travel experience, maybe it's the New Yorker in me, but by being insistent about what we wanted, we managed to see and do what we wanted how we wanted. But, it should not be as "challenging" as it was, especially when paying so much...

 

I think some of it may also have to do with the older "Soviet" mentality, and that the younger guides are more open to change and new ideas. Many people from those times (including our guide) are actually worse off now than they were back then, and seem to be somewhat resentful of the changes.

 

As an aside, when someone from Denrus followed up with an e-mail after we returned from our trip, I did mention some "issues" with how the tour guide handled things but never heard back. It does bother me a bit that they were not concerned to hear any details while they continue to assign her new clients.

[Juliadlf]

Especially when paying for a private tour, you want someone catering to you and your interests and allowing for some flexibility. Flexible she was not, and did not react kindly if you did not do things quite her way. Added to my travel experience, maybe it's the New Yorker in me, but by being insistent about what we wanted, we managed to see and do what we wanted how we wanted. But, it should not be as "challenging" as it was, especially when paying so much...

 

Was the tour agenda set up prior to departure and if so, what wasn't she flexible on? Did the tour group want to change the tour after your started?

We are looking at this company for next year and would appreciate your input on specifics, ie do we need to notify the operator we want flexibility in changing the itinerary if need be.

If you've written a review on this, please let me know where I can find the link.

Thanks.

[42trvl]

Our agenda was set up with their office prior to our trip, and they were very good about setting things up and changing as we went along in making our plans. Once we decided on each day's itinerary, they went ahead and bought the necessary tickets. Understandably, tours for set dates and times can't be changed easily and we did not try to do that. You should be aware that certain places are by reservation and timed admission - those would be difficult to change while you're there. It was more the "little" things like when and where to eat, shop, spending more or less time in certain places, etc. For example, we had read about and been recommended to some restaurants (newer, more upscale) and she was not willing to try any of these places. When we wanted to shop for certain things, she was not too "up" on the places that would sell such items, like batteries or film. As bfetzner stated in his original post, we sensed her strong resistance to any of the "newer" or more western things. In touring around the city she only liked to discuss certain aspects of the city's sights and history. When we did not want to do something she thought we should do, she was outwardly unhappy with us. None of this was horrible, and most importantly, we were able to get into and see all the attractions we wanted to very easily and efficiently. Our driver was excellent, we had no issues with waiting and our guide was quite knowledgeable about the "standard" sights. I just think that it would add to the overall experience if the guide was a bit more relaxed and accepting of the changes that have taken place in Russia.

 

I don't think that you should be worried about using the company. We had absolutely no problems dealing with them. Everything was arranged as agreed upon, our car was in excellent condition and everything went smoothly. I would just see if you could request specific guides based on people's recommendations to make the experience more pleasant.

[BOGOman]

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Juliadlf writes ~ Was the tour agenda set up prior to departure and if so, what wasn't she flexible on? Did the tour group want to change the tour after your started?

We are looking at this company for next year and would appreciate your input on specifics, ie do we need to notify the operator we want flexibility in changing the itinerary if need be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Our problems were not with Denrus or about flexibility. Our Denrus guide, Ljudmilla, had a major problem with western nations, with western values and by extention with people who live in western countries. While that's okay in an Internet forum where you can disregard bigoted and outrageous opinions, it's disastrous when you're totally dependent on somebody as a guide.

 

If I were you, I'd make sure I don't have Ljudmilla as my Denrus guide or else I'd go elsewhere. They need to know that she's poison to their company and bad for good international relations as well. Times are tough enough without public relation people like tour guides insulting people by telling them that the country they're visiting is becoming too much like the countries that the tourists come from, and that neither is good.

[lamwnfa]

Wow, I'm so sorry your experience wasn't stellar. I hope you were still able to enjoy the amazing city of St Petersburg. We used Denrus and had Nadya as our guide...she was marvelous. I would certainly follow up with Denrus and let them know about your experience. Nadya also shared with us that she and Alexander (our driver) were not employees of Denrus but independant contractors hired by the company. If I had to speculate I would think that because St Petersburg is becoming a busy tourist stop with many ships stopping in port that guides may be more difficult to find and companies have to move past their "A" team of guides. Thanks for posting so that future cruisers will be able to make requests for guides they may want or those they wouldn't want.

 

 

Lori

[Juliadlf]

Thanks for providing more insight into what the issues were and the heads-up on the tour guide.

Very much appreciated.

[alcman]

We had Red october and our guide was Tatiana. I echo what BillRob experienced. We saw everything on the schedule, but her reaction to us and US citizens was very similar to their situation. She knew the material, but it wasn't the kind of experience I was looking for. We enjoyed St. Petersburg, but would have enjoyed the experience more if we hadn't been made afraid of talking to the guide. Frankly, she was downright rude or confrontational on many ocassions and turned every question into a challenge to her country.

 

If we return, we will be specific about what guide we ask for.

 

Jerry

[BOGOman]

... I would certainly follow up with Denrus and let them know about your experience. Nadya also shared with us that she and Alexander (our driver) were not employees of Denrus but independant contractors hired by the company. ... Lori

 

I contacted Denrus immediately upon return. Someone replied within a few days with a copious explanation, but none of it indicated that Ljudmilla is a contractor. By their response, which claimed that Ljudmilla has been praised on boards like this and agreeing with her that Russians have a deplorable view of Americans, I'd guess that Ljudmilla is part owner of Denrus rather than a contractor. But if she does contract her services in that industry, then I'd warn anyone using Red October, Baltic Travel or any other agency working the tour experience in St. Petersburg to be wary of getting her for your tour.

 

While Ljudmilla is very knowledgeable, she's likely to leave at least some in her tour groups despondent about the implications of a free and democratic Russia, just as she feels. But those tourists who go to Russia harboring their own grievances against the west, who have a radical desire for equality, who are ignorant of the importance of human rights in society, and who have a burning hatred for most things capitalistic, such tourists might just feel entirely comfortable with this bitterly anti-western woman. I've found that different tourists who have similar experiences can report them in greatly different ways, so I guess it depends, in part, on what you believe before you go and would like to see reinforced for you. Personally, I'm proud of my country (USA) and don't enjoy hearing it, or its values, trashed when I travel, especially by a tour guide who snidely dismisses achievement in her own country, won't answer questions and argues her private opinions vehemently on my time and at my expense.

[Artemis]

I would simply like to add another "thumbs up" for Nadya, who guided for us through Denrus. We have traveled a bit and experienced a number of guides--she was one of the best we've encountered.

 

Most importantly, Nadya knows her stuff and has a broad range--she can talk as knowledgeably and passionately about Catherine and Peter as she can about art from many periods and cultures. St. Petersburg is her home city, and she knows its past, present and future. Have you ever asked a guide a question and sensed from your own knowledge and research that they were fudging on the answer, assuming you'd never know the difference? Nadya never did this--on rare occasion, she directly admitted she didn't know the answer; the rest of the time, she was a font of knowledge. She was also skilled in the practical ways of guiding--she was aggressive in dealing with the museum personnel (talk about crusty!) and expertly moved our small group in/out around the slow-moving large groups as efficiently as possible.

 

Secondarily, but crucial to the success of our touring days, Nadya was a delightful companion and enthusiastic conversationalist. She is an attractive late 40's-early 50's slim woman who grooms herself and dresses in a stylish way. She has a beautiful smile and upbeat disposition. She has traveled a fair amount internationally, including to the US. She is sophisticated. Although we did not pursue pointed or sensitive political discussions, we certainly talked very naturally at different times over the two long days about Russia's domestic and international policies at various points in time and at present. We talked about popular culture, food, music, raising kids, careers, burgeoning technologies, Putin, exploring other parts of Russia...you name it!

 

All in all, we felt fortunate to have been "assigned" to Nadya for our first visit to St. Petersburg. I commend her without qualification to any of you prospective visitors who would like to make a specific request for Nadya.

 

Before I close, let me address my view of the "flexibility" issue. We are independent travelers who rarely take pre-set tours. It was annoyingly "inflexible" to my personal travel personality to have to plan out each day in advance. However, once I started working with Denrus (via prompt and responsive emails), I saw how their expert knowledge of site locations in relation to each other, traffic, opening days/hours and other logistical issues was essential in structuring our days to allow maximum touring. And Denrus was extremely "flexible" in allowing us to pick what we wanted to see and do. I did a lot of St. Petersburg research as if we were visiting by land and then told them what our priorities were. We included a stop or two that you never see on the standard Denrus or RO itineraries...that's perfectly fine with them (and in fact, your guide will love going to someplace different for a change!). Once we arrived for our two days, that "inflexible" feeling swept over me again at times because we were locked into this schedule and because the visa situation simply does not allow your guide and driver to let you explore beyond a very short leash. However, we found Nadya to be very "flexible" in small ways that counted...she worked in a Metro subway ride; she departed from the Denrus suggested restaurant plan for Day 2 and took us to two places, letting us choose one; she let us "dictate" what we wanted to do when there was a gap of time; she and the driver made good choices re: altering the itinerary to respond to rain and traffic; etc.

 

In the final analysis, I'm awfully glad we had a private guide and didn't try to see SPb on our own the first time or via large group tour. Our custom small group tour with Denrus was reasonably priced, and we felt like we received great value. Nadya (and our driver) made our days in SPb extra-special.

[aqua]

We had Irina from Red October. She was outstanding. I had read good comments about her on this board, so I was happy when she led our family group.

[42trvl]

If we have been talking about the same Ludmilla, then according to her she is an independent contractor who works with other companies in addition to DenRus. According to her, she has been in the tourism business on her own and is also an art history lecturer at the University, in addition to picking up work with various tour companies. For those of you still in the planning stages of your trip, it seems that it will be a good idea to ask specifically about who your tour guide will be and her background when making your arrangements. After all, no matter how reputable the company you are booking through is, you are spending many hours with this person and much is dependent on his/her qualifications and personality

[BOGOman]

... no matter how reputable the company you are booking through is, you are spending many hours with this person and much is dependent on his/her qualifications and personality

 

Of course I agree wholeheartedly. So far, nobody has "recommended" Ljudmilla or generally approved of her qualifications and personality as a tour guide. That seems odd to me where Denrus rejected my complaints that she is a lousy tour guide by saying that she has been highly praised by others. If so, why don't they speak up to defend the way she puts down achieving Russians, western ways and western values? Other than chatting about her negative views, has anyone ever heard from their tour guide that Russians think that Americans are "primitive people who act like cowboys, with their feet on the tables and chewing gum." Does anyone here think that Russians are so stupid or uninformed that they stereotype Americans like that or so intolerant that they refuse to accept western ways despite clear benefits (Ljudmilla claimed that Russians will never accept hydroponic agriculture "because the food doesn't taste good")?

[Queenk2]

Lets keep the discussion going as I am interested in booking a guide for next year. I am interested in everyone's opinions about their specififc guide!

Thank you VERY much!

Karen

[Juliadlf]

Of course I agree wholeheartedly. So far, nobody has "recommended" Ljudmilla or generally approved of her qualifications and personality as a tour guide. That seems odd to me where Denrus rejected my complaints that she is a lousy tour guide by saying that she has been highly praised by others. If so, why don't they speak up to defend the way she puts down achieving Russians, western ways and western values? Other than chatting about her negative views, has anyone ever heard from their tour guide that Russians think that Americans are "primitive people who act like cowboys, with their feet on the tables and chewing gum." Does anyone here think that Russians are so stupid or uninformed that they stereotype Americans like that or so intolerant that they refuse to accept western ways despite clear benefits (Ljudmilla claimed that Russians will never accept hydroponic agriculture "because the food doesn't taste good")?

 

I guess what we should learn from others who have used either Red October or Denrus is to ask the tour agency for client recommendations for the tour guide being assigned to the group prior to signing up with the tour agency. :confused: Are you able to ask for specific guides or are you left to "chance"?

[BOGOman]

... Are you able to ask for specific guides or are you left to "chance"?

 

So far left to chance in the hands of the tour company. And that will continue unless travelers develop a reliable method of choosing. These boards are an excellent source of information, but from personalized perspectives. Most tourists, and I commend Western tourists in particular, are quick to compliment and to forgive because they travel with the intent to be accepting and tolerant. I'm suggesting, however, that the attitudes of tolerance and respect should be reciprocated by the people we hire to help inform and guide us. The vast majority of them do that naturally and happily, but occasionally one or another person who serves tourists uses the opportunity to disparage the countries from which the tourist comes, the core values in those countries or different lifestyles. They forget, or don't care, that they're working for us for that brief time and we are on vacation. Tour companies who hire people who have a personal agenda, bad manners or disagreeable personalities should be informed. I hope they'll listen, as I hope Denrus will listen in this case. And act constructively.

[Willsot]

Our Russian tour guides were excellent and seemed very warm to Americans.

But occasional anti-American comments are not limited to Russia. We had a tour guide for a bus tour in Copenhagen (through HAL) who made rather rude comments on more than one occasion. When we were stopped across the bay from the beautiful new Opera House, I asked if he knew the construction costs (I had known that a Danish shipping magnate had donated the building as a gift to the Danish people and was just curious about what cost to build). The tour guide said something to the effect that "unlike in America, we Danes are not concerned with what things cost." This is the same guy who had been going on and on about all of the free social programs, health care and education. At one point I politely inquired as to what the tax rates were and only got a "there you go again" look and no answer.

[VinTek]

We took a Red October tour and were told that virtually all of the guides and drivers for both Red October and DenRus were freelance operators. Our own guide (Polina) and driver (Edvard) had worked for DenRus before.

 

Polina was what I would consider more the "old school" type of guide. She wasn't brusque like Ludmilla, but was honest about the fact that some of the people in St. Petersburg suffered a loss of security when the Soviet Union gave way to a more democratic form of government. She didn't out and out say anything like this, but dropped enough indirect information to give us a sense of how people really felt. One of the funniest things to occur was during a ride to a palace, when I was explaining to my wife that Putin was once KGB. Both Polina and Edvard (who also spoke English) simultaneously exclaimed, "*Still* KGB!" It was priceless.

 

In contrast to Polina, we'd met a younger guide Ekaterina, who had escorted my parents the week before. Since my parents had told her that we were going to be in St. Petersburg the following week, she made a point of seeking us out to say hello, which was very nice. Young (early 30s) and charming, she was a professor at the local university who trained guides in tourism. After talking with my parents, I think she would have politely and deftly turned aside any questions in which the answers might have put modern Russia in a less favorable light. She seemed a model of tact and diplomacy, but I think you would have only seen and heard exactly what she wanted you to see and hear. My parents were completely charmed by her and thought she was fabulous, but I think I appreciated Polina's honesty more.

[keep on cruising]

We took a RO 2 day tour in July. Our guide was Eleana. She was excellent. She was extremely knowledgeable. She guided us through the historical sites providing us with much more knowledge than we would have got on a larger tour. She had as much knowledge on art as she did on history and saw that we got "little extras" such as hearing the monks sing at one of the churches and getting the caretaker to start the clock in the Hermitage.

 

She made sure we found clean, convenient rest rooms, bought us ice cream so that we could taste Russian ice cream. All and all, she made out tour one to remember.

 

She seemed to generally like Americans and had traveled to the US several times. I highly recommend her. She made our trip to St Petersburg very special.

[elin]

I would simply like to add another "thumbs up" for Nadya, who guided for us through Denrus. We have traveled a bit and experienced a number of guides--she was one of the best we've encountered.

 

Most importantly, Nadya knows her stuff and has a broad range--she can talk as knowledgeably and passionately about Catherine and Peter as she can about art from many periods and cultures. St. Petersburg is her home city, and she knows its past, present and future. Have you ever asked a guide a question and sensed from your own knowledge and research that they were fudging on the answer, assuming you'd never know the difference? Nadya never did this--on rare occasion, she directly admitted she didn't know the answer; the rest of the time, she was a font of knowledge. She was also skilled in the practical ways of guiding--she was aggressive in dealing with the museum personnel (talk about crusty!) and expertly moved our small group in/out around the slow-moving large groups as efficiently as possible.

 

Secondarily, but crucial to the success of our touring days, Nadya was a delightful companion and enthusiastic conversationalist. She is an attractive late 40's-early 50's slim woman who grooms herself and dresses in a stylish way. She has a beautiful smile and upbeat disposition. She has traveled a fair amount internationally, including to the US. She is sophisticated. Although we did not pursue pointed or sensitive political discussions, we certainly talked very naturally at different times over the two long days about Russia's domestic and international policies at various points in time and at present. We talked about popular culture, food, music, raising kids, careers, burgeoning technologies, Putin, exploring other parts of Russia...you name it!

 

All in all, we felt fortunate to have been "assigned" to Nadya for our first visit to St. Petersburg. I commend her without qualification to any of you prospective visitors who would like to make a specific request for Nadya.

 

In the final analysis, I'm awfully glad we had a private guide and didn't try to see SPb on our own the first time or via large group tour. Our custom small group tour with Denrus was reasonably priced, and we felt like we received great value. Nadya (and our driver) made our days in SPb extra-special.

 

I cannot second this review more. We had Nadya from Denrus. She was fantastic. An absolute pleasure. Knowledgeable, helpful, flexible, personable, engaging, great conversationalist...just fantastic. Not too rigid but kept us to some degree on schedule.

 

Our driver was Shameel and he always had a smile, was very cheerful and skilled at getting us everywhere we needed to go.

 

I can not recommend Denrus enough. They are extremely helpful.

 

Elin

[Jill_b]

Polina was what I would consider more the "old school" type of guide. She wasn't brusque like Ludmilla, but was honest about the fact that some of the people in St. Petersburg suffered a loss of security when the Soviet Union gave way to a more democratic form of government. She didn't out and out say anything like this, but dropped enough indirect information to give us a sense of how people really felt. One of the funniest things to occur was during a ride to a palace, when I was explaining to my wife that Putin was once KGB. Both Polina and Edvard (who also spoke English) simultaneously exclaimed, "*Still* KGB!" It was priceless.

 

After talking with my parents, I think she[ their younger guide] would have politely and deftly turned aside any questions in which the answers might have put modern Russia in a less favorable light. She seemed a model of tact and diplomacy, but I think you would have only seen and heard exactly what she wanted you to see and hear. My parents were completely charmed by her and thought she was fabulous, but I think I appreciated Polina's honesty more.

 

Reading this list it seems to me that some people are happier hearing only what they wish to hear even when they ask a question when an honest answer might offend their sensitivities. There is no question that many if not most Russians have low opinions of American due to our well known cultural insensitivity away from home, that is logical because that is the current opinion in Europe where I have a lot more travel experience. Others travel, not to be patronized but to learn about other people and how they think. Personally I would prefer an honest guide who answered my questions without filtering every response based on what she thought I wanted to hear and how it effected my tip. If you do not want an unpredictable answer don't ask questions of people who think differently and have a completely different experience. We are their guests in their country, it is their way of thinking we are asking about. The young cheerful guides can only give a carefully sanitized tour from what I am reading here and I would prefer someone who has lived and is not afraid of telling me their truthful opinion. They are not Americans with strange accents, they are Russians and have a different way of looking at things, some of which I think we could learn from instead of always insisting we are right and superior. If you paid attention to the lecture about the recent century Russians have survived more difficult times than the US will ever and the people have learned a lot. Maybe they deserve a little more respect to have vaild opinions and beliefs.

Not prepared to listen to an answer....fine, don't ask the question and let the others in the group enjoy their experience.

[VinTek]

Reading this list it seems to me that some people are happier hearing only what they wish to hear even when they ask a question when an honest answer might offend their sensitivities. There is no question that many if not most Russians have low opinions of American due to our well known cultural insensitivity away from home, that is logical because that is the current opinion in Europe where I have a lot more travel experience. Others travel, not to be patronized but to learn about other people and how they think. Personally I would prefer an honest guide who answered my questions without filtering every response based on what she thought I wanted to hear and how it effected my tip. If you do not want an unpredictable answer don't ask questions of people who think differently and have a completely different experience. We are their guests in their country, it is their way of thinking we are asking about. The young cheerful guides can only give a carefully sanitized tour from what I am reading here and I would prefer someone who has lived and is not afraid of telling me their truthful opinion. They are not Americans with strange accents, they are Russians and have a different way of looking at things, some of which I think we could learn from instead of always insisting we are right and superior. If you paid attention to the lecture about the recent century Russians have survived more difficult times than the US will ever and the people have learned a lot. Maybe they deserve a little more respect to have vaild opinions and beliefs.

Not prepared to listen to an answer....fine, don't ask the question and let the others in the group enjoy their experience.

 

Agreed. That's why we were so appreciative of our guide. She was tactful and diplomatic but found ways to communicate with us and teach us what we were interested in learning. If you're interested in some examples of this, write me at starprincess at europe.com (use "@" instead of "at" and eliminate the spaces).

 

One of the other experiences I'd highly recommend is having lunch with a Russian family. We did this and thought we were going to have lunch with the equivalent of a typical "middle-class" Russian family, but instead were paired with a retired Russian ballerina and her daughter. It was a fascinating experience. I have also read good things on this board about other groups having lunch with a retired Russian aerospace engineer and her son. It's getting to meet real people and exchange views that really made St. Petersburg the highlight of my trip. Those events are an opportunity to break through stereotypes on both sides and gain some understanding.