St. Petersburg, Russia | Cruise Speaker Tip and Thoughts

I would have never dreamed this possible.

What?

I grew up during the Cold War. I remember doing bomb raid
drills in school where we all hid under our desks in case of
a Russian nuclear attack -- as if your desk would protect
you!

Any of you remember this?

I remember hearing stories of how as a young airman my
father guarded grounded B-52's that sat at the ready, crews
onboard and jet's fired just waiting to retaliate during the
Cuban missile crisis.

During my formative years my culture communicated that
Soviet Russia was bad and should be feared.

The Berlin wall was torn down in 1989 but I was already a
young adult by then and my impressions of Russia and
Communism were fully formed.

That's why as I departed the ship yesterday in St.
Petersburg Russia I was 'uneasy'. I would never have
imagined actually visiting Russia as a child or even young
adult but yet here I was.

All because of my ability (which I want to impart to you) to
speak on cruise ships. The skills my program "Speak on
Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury
Cruises" teaches can literally take you around the world --> http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/cruise-free.html

We had a great time in St. Petersburg and actually spent
most of the time touring the Hermitage. The Hermitage is a
world class art museum second only the Louvre. However, we
made side stops at St. Isaac's Cathedral, the war ship
Aurora (which fired the shot that signaled the beginning of
the Bolshevik Revolution), the church of the Spilled Blood
(see video) which is actually reminiscent of St. Basil's in
Moscow (the domed church they show on TV when the news
refers to the Kremlin).

In any event, I was impressed by how modern and frankly
European St. Petersburg is. This is in large part due to
post Soviet economic reforms and to the building edicts of
Peter the Great who imported most of the talent to build his
capital from Europe.

On the bus ride back to the ship yesterday I asked our tour
guide to compare and contrast life now as compared to the
Soviet days. BTW the Soviet regime only lasted 73 years of
Russia's long history, she reminded us.

She said in many ways life was much easier in the USSR. She
said everything was provided: your education, your job, your
apartment, your food, etc.. She also said you really did
not have to worry about anything.

On the other hand, she said, you had very little freedom.
You could not express your opinion about your government.
You could not worship in church or synagogue. You could not
really buy anything because there was nothing in the stores
to buy. But she said the biggest problem (and she thought
the problem most responsible for taking down the Soviet
system) was the fact that the system gave no incentive to
work.

In other words, workers got the benefits of the welfare
state whether or not they were a good workers. She implied
that workers went to great lengths to do as little work as
possible.

And why not? Everyone was paid about the same wage.

Economic theory is really a study of the incentives which
induce behavior. Consequently, a system such as that
described by our guide could not last very long.

The whole experience has been eye opening to say the least.
In fact, with each new port I experience (on this and every
cruise I take), my perspectives and attitudes change. And
truth be known, that is the real reason I love cruise ship
speaking so much. It allows me to see and experience so
many new and wonderful things. Each one enriches my life
and
opens new thoughts and new opportunities.

I hope you will give yourself this gift:
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We are spending two days in St. Petersburg and today we are
touring the canals and waterways.

I am less apprehensive today and my eyes, ears and mind are
open.

I will update you soon. In the meantime, let me help you
cruise the world just for flapping your jaws. There is no
guesswork and you can even get my help personally.

Lots of my students are doing it (just Google me for tons of
video testimonials) plus there are a bunch more on the sales
page (http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/cruise-free.html ).

Enjoy the videos...