General Discussion

a Russian tour group. The guides spoke perfect English and discussed the hopes of the Russian people to ease tensions with the West. We had the guide with us at some sites and during a night tour of Moscow's beautiful subway stations and lit monuments. The rest of the time we were driven somewhere and turned loose. I walked, by myself, to several places and ate in different restaurants alone. I got lost and asked a Russian policeman for assistance. He knew little English, but got a map up on his phone for me and then translated the street names to English with an app.
Only guards I saw was at Lenin's tomb and Putin's visit in St. Petersburg. Could have been anywhere when a dignitary visits, with blocked off streets and police presence.
I thought Russia was much more modern than what I had been led to believe. The grocery stores we stopped at for breaks and to get snacks were well stocked and prices were lower than in America.

Of course, this was all before Putin bared his teeth and decided to go another direction.