Guide’s insight into Russia

My wife, Marilyn, and I hired Julia Ivanushkina (Tipanov str 34/3-26, St. Petersburg 195233, Russia; e-mail juliaguide@gmail.com or visit www.spbwondertour.com) to guide us on a May ’08 day tour of St. Petersburg, Russia, because we had seen her ad in ITN’s MART Classifieds.

She did an exceptional job, and her tour was by far the most fascinating and enjoyable we experienced on our 3-week cruise aboard the MS Royal Princess of Princess Cruises.

For starters, Julia arranged for and e-mailed us the Russian visas we needed for the tour, and because she has her own travel company she was able to get a blanket visa for us at no cost.

She met us at the ship with a comfortable Mercedes SUV plus a driver and we were off to see far more sights than we could have believed possible.

We took a short trip on the Metro, seeing its marble and art in the stations, then visited Peterhof Palace and its gorgeous grounds, fountains and baths. We toured the Catherine Palace, including the restored Amber Room, drove down Nevsky Prospekt and so much more.

Our only regret was that we couldn’t see the wonders of the State Hermitage Museum because it was closed that day. That will be our excuse for our next tour with Julia.

While we were traveling and wandering, Julia was pointing out things and places of interest and telling us about Russian history and culture, Russian art and architecture, how ordinary Russians live and the effect of World War II on the Russian people plus answering our many questions. It was a one-day verbal tour of all that is Russia.

She took us to an upscale restaurant for lunch and we had a 6-course meal, complete with traditional food and wine, vodka and another drink that was something like hard cider. She explained what was in each course and how it was prepared — most enjoyable and interesting. Entertainers sang Russian songs as we ate.

Being hard of hearing, I was concerned about the possibility of having a guide with a difficult accent or too soft a voice. With Julia’s excellent command of the English language, her minimal accent and her loud, clear voice, she wiped away my worries instantly. On top of that, she was very attentive and conscious of our comfort and concerns.

Our shipmates were quite envious when they heard about the great tour we had. Julia charged the two of us €28 (near $42) per hour for her, her driver and the vehicle; on top of that, we paid for admissions and our meal. She assured us that no money was due in advance and that even if we had a delay getting off the ship, the clock started when we met her.

She accepted euros or dollars; we paid in dollars, in cash, on our return to the ship. Altogether, our 11-plus hours of touring, plus admissions, lunch and gas but excluding her tip, came to about $855, which we felt was a bargain.

We came home with wonderful memories of an exceptional tour and tour guide, and we highly recommend Julia’s services.

CHARLIE CAMERON

Morgan Hill, CA