Marilee and I took our first “cruise ship” in company of my brother Clete and Sister Ursula, their spouses and friends. We embarked from England off to the four Scandinavian capitols (photos posted elsewhere), then to St. Petersburg and Tallinn, Estonia. When in Russia we eschewed the cruise ship’s arrangements thanks to brother Clete who used the internet to arrange a guide and van for our party; that proved to be a smart move as we got to see more and faster than people who used the ship’s guides. If going to Russia on a cruise ship, you should consider doing the same.

        We were there at an unusual time, as the city was about to celebrate its 500th anniversary and preparing for a tourist onslaught. Fix-up and rehab was everywhere, and a good many newly-hired waitresses and store clerks were unfamiliar with tourists and the expectations of travelers.

        Rules were still apparent everywhere, as was suspicion of motives. Russia was more restrictive of cameras than either China or Cuba. The surprise was the ban on photography inside GUM, their government run department store.