Review about University of Massachusetts Group by Mary Jane Easley

This was a vacation of a "lifetime" and I want to thank Susie Main, our East West/Nordic Saga tour representative and Ursala for making sure our passports were correct, so this trip could be possible. My girlfriend & I are in our 70's and had some apprehensions about leaving our husbands to go to a country, we knew so little about. We went two days early, so we had time to explore Moscow on our on. Our hotel was just across the river from the Kremlin, so we went to Red Square, St Basil Cathedral & the GUM shopping center the first evening. We were overwhelmed by the beauty especially at night, when all the lights were on. We walked the streets freely and never once felt uncomfortable or insecure. We found wonderful restaurants and plenty of people that spoke English. Our tour guides Anastasia in Moscow and Maria in St. Petersburg were absolutely brilliant. Their in depth knowledge about Russian history, palaces, art, religion, as well as their own personal family experiences were unsurpassed. It is hard to believe how they could remember so many details, dates, names & events. We were in Moscow four days and St. Petersburg six days. I have to say the cities clean the streets every day, the Water Closets were impeccable and the metro systems were like museums. Our five star hotels provided superb service and wonderful breakfasts. This tour exceeded all expectations and overcame any perceptions, we may have had about Russia and it's wonderful people. I hope if they come to the United States, that they will enjoy their visit with us, as much as we did with them. I feel very comfortable traveling their own my on now and plan to take my grand daughter next year. I highly recommend the East-West Tour company and their Splendors of Russia Tour.