[oldalum]

BTW, this was no ordinary tour guide. Three days of pretty intense study of St. Petersburg and its environs. She was no lightweight.

The Russian tour guides have to undergo very detailed testing every year on the sites they are guiding on, to be certified to guide during the upcoming tourist season. They are really knowledgeable. The main one I had last year was absolutely terrific, really made the trip for us. Had an interesting background: as depicted in the Chernobyl docudrama, he was one of the youths drafted to help clean up the surrounding area, but he knew what was afoot and managed to flee the country and spent years in the U.S. in exile until the Soviet Union dissolved, then he returned home and became a tour guide.

[oldalum]

BTW, this was no ordinary tour guide. Three days of pretty intense study of St. Petersburg and its environs. She was no lightweight.

The Russian tour guides have to undergo very detailed testing every year on the sites they are guiding on, to be certified to guide during the upcoming tourist season. They are really knowledgeable. The main one I had last year was absolutely terrific, really made the trip for us. Had an interesting background: as depicted in the Chernobyl docudrama, he was one of the youths drafted to help clean up the surrounding area, but he knew what was afoot and managed to flee the country and spent years in the U.S. in exile until the Soviet Union dissolved, then he returned home and became a tour guide.