Who: Joel and Deborah Robinson of Grand Junction
Where: Moscow, across the Moscow River from the Kremlin
Out and about: We joined a 20-member People to People Ambassadors librarians’ delegation to Russia. The American librarians toured and conferred with Russian librarians at the State Library of the Russian Federation and the Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow. In St. Petersburg, we visited the Russian National Library and St. Petersburg Public Library. We also attended a UNESCO Summit on the Information Society at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Cultural excursions included the Bolshoi and Marinski ballets, the Tretyakov Gallery, Peterhof, the Hermitage Art Museum, and numerous monasteries, cathedrals and palaces.
Travel tip: Moscow traffic is the worst on Earth. Pedestrians are targets. Tour guides are worth the expense – they know their way around and have contacts at attractions and shops. Don’t even think about drinking the water in St. Petersburg. If you are thinking of flying Pulkovo Airlines, don’t. People were friendly but spoke little English. The subways are cheap and safe, the stations beautiful. The food is wonderful!
