We made! We were up at 5:00 a.m. to catch a plane to Kyiv. Alexey met us at the airport and we headed straight for the American Embassy which is a very busy place. Honestly, I am not even 100% sure what we were doing there but I can tell you it went smoothly and only took an hour. Afterwards, we headed out to complete Sergei's medical evaluation which was also pretty simple. Below we are sitting outside of our apartment in Kyiv waiting for the key to be delivered.
Kyiv is a beautiful city and packed with of people of all ages. The architecture is really interesting because there is a noticable Russian influence from the Soviet Union days, as well as many ornate Ukrainian buildings and churches. Eating out is a big part of the life style in Kyiv, especially dessert. There are many traditional Ukrainian restaurants and there you will find lots of other Ukrainian crafts, embroideries and folklore. The eggs below are from an exhibit at the Upper Lavra which a functioning monastery with tons of history.
We just happened to be walking down the street and found this storage area for the church domes.
Below is is St. Andrew's Church is going through a renovation. It is directly across from the SDA which is where we had our very first appointment to start the entire process.
Below is one part of St. Sophia's Cathedral. Underneath that picture is a long shot walking towards St. Sophia's. The church is over 1,000 years old and I believe it is the oldest in the city. Parts of it were destroyed and rebuilt throughout it's history. The interior is absolutely spectacular with a very ornate altar, mosaics that are a millenium old and original frescos. Very very special. Craig and I toured when we first arrived. It is the one place that Sergei would like to squeeze in tomorrow.
Sergei was in Kyiv last summer for a program with school. Funny thing is that tonight he told me he would take me to a restaurant that he likes. Low and behold, he knew exactly where he was going and had me fooled the entire time. We walked into a restaurant that he was completely familiar with and had a delicious meal. Typical Ukrainian restuarants offer a wonderful buffet spread of salads, meats, fishes, verenekes, pancakes, breads, desserts and more.
Kyiv is a beautiful city and packed with of people of all ages. The architecture is really interesting because there is a noticable Russian influence from the Soviet Union days, as well as many ornate Ukrainian buildings and churches. Eating out is a big part of the life style in Kyiv, especially dessert. There are many traditional Ukrainian restaurants and there you will find lots of other Ukrainian crafts, embroideries and folklore. The eggs below are from an exhibit at the Upper Lavra which a functioning monastery with tons of history.
We just happened to be walking down the street and found this storage area for the church domes.
Below is is St. Andrew's Church is going through a renovation. It is directly across from the SDA which is where we had our very first appointment to start the entire process.
Below is one part of St. Sophia's Cathedral. Underneath that picture is a long shot walking towards St. Sophia's. The church is over 1,000 years old and I believe it is the oldest in the city. Parts of it were destroyed and rebuilt throughout it's history. The interior is absolutely spectacular with a very ornate altar, mosaics that are a millenium old and original frescos. Very very special. Craig and I toured when we first arrived. It is the one place that Sergei would like to squeeze in tomorrow.
Sergei was in Kyiv last summer for a program with school. Funny thing is that tonight he told me he would take me to a restaurant that he likes. Low and behold, he knew exactly where he was going and had me fooled the entire time. We walked into a restaurant that he was completely familiar with and had a delicious meal. Typical Ukrainian restuarants offer a wonderful buffet spread of salads, meats, fishes, verenekes, pancakes, breads, desserts and more.Tomorrow we have our final exit piece at the Embassy at 2:00. That's the last piece of business before we pack up and head home. We are both a little punchy at this point in time. He is too cold with airconditioning and I can't sleep without it. Makes for a great roommate combination, especially with the language barriers. I am not worried though.... we have great faciliators waiting for us at home.
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