BUS #5 and other friends

We had to choose a bus at the beginning of the trip and that was our "home.". Luckily we had a good group and a wonderful guide. Most of the friends we made were on Bus #5. Here is a picture of Svetlana. Not only did she teach us everything about Russian culture, Russian history, Russian geography, etc. but she, also, gave a lecture to the entire ship on Russia from the Romanov Dynasty to Gorbachev. The lecture lasted for an hour and she did not use one note!






Bill and Pam are from Baltimore and spend their summers in Whitefish, Montana.











John calls these ladies "the fillies from Philly." They have been friends for 40 years.






Susan and Gary live in Salt Lake City. Susan and John enjoyed the horn music at Peterhof.






Cathy, Paul, Jim and Judy are friends from Buffalo. I have started following Judy around because she is a clever shopper; she finds unique items and she makes up her mind quickly!






We have, also, made friends with many of the crew who are mostly from Russia or Indonesia. Here are our Russian bartenders.






These smiling gentlemen greet us each day at our meals. They have been on the boat for six months and will return home in a few weeks.






We have just enjoyed a Russian dinner with our friends and tablemates, Bill and Pam.






After a glorious sunset we went to a vodka tasting party. Our restaurant manager, Andrey, showed us how to hold the shot glass in weird ways, sniff bread(weird!)between samples and munch on cucumbers and mushrooms. It was fun!