My trip to Leningrad

[TWS]

HistoryMan -"what were the local Ruskies like? are they friendly?"

We are friendly to our guests! But are angry between themselves. It is a legacy of prolonged oppression by the political system.You shouldn't be afraid of us.

I spent a good two weeks in Russia about 17 years ago. Volgograd, Moscow, St. Petersburg. Had really no problems with any of the local population in any of those cities. In fact, some people were very friendly when they found out I was American and wanted to converse with me (if they spoke English because I know about 5 words of Russian). One exception was a tall aggressive female pimp who cornered me in the Moscow subway/pedestrian underpass tunnel one night and yelled in my face "Girls! Do you want girls?", but in hindsight the encounter was actually pretty funny.

[HPL2008]

One exception was a tall aggressive female pimp who cornered me in the Moscow subway/pedestrian underpass tunnel one night and yelled in my face "Girls! Do you want girls?", but in hindsight the encounter was actually pretty funny.

She couldn't have been much scarier than some of the elderly female museum guards at Catherine Palace and Peterhof Palace.

[ollar]

I spent a good two weeks in Russia about 17 years ago. Volgograd, Moscow, St. Petersburg. Had really no problems with any of the local population in any of those cities. In fact, some people were very friendly when they found out I was American and wanted to converse with me (if they spoke English because I know about 5 words of Russian). One exception was a tall aggressive female pimp who cornered me in the Moscow subway/pedestrian underpass tunnel one night and yelled in my face "Girls! Do you want girls?", but in hindsight the encounter was actually pretty funny.

Did she recognize you as a foreigner? It was a KGB officer!! Then you could be blackmailed!! It's just business

[ollar]

She couldn't have been much scarier than some of the elderly female museum guards at Catherine Palace and Peterhof Palace.

These women are the same age as this Palace.

[TWS]

Did she recognize you as a foreigner? It was a KGB officer!! Then you could be blackmailed!! It's just business

Haha! She knew I was a foreigner because she first said something to me in Russian and when I seemed not to comprehend she said something in a second language. When I still didn't react, she yelled in English at me.
I know you're joking about her being FSB, but I have little doubt that my In-Tourist guide in Volgograd had to file a report on me.

[Dom]

May 2017, cruiser Aurora symbol of the October Revolution

[Dom]

Victory Day

NKVD watching you