Day 15 Goodbye Beautiful

I'm at the Kiev airport getting ready to board my flight home with Swiss International Airlines. This has been an unforgettable journey. Usually I'm happy to return home but not this time. Something about this wonderful country has taking me over. I'm heading home but I will definitely be back, my journey with Ukraine has just begun.

Day 14 Kiev Can't Beleive It's Almost Over

Kiev. What a city this is. I'm walking on Khreshchatyk Street, the fanciest street in Kiev. I'm just thinking of how far I've come and can't believe its almost over. Khreschatyk street has a lot of stalls selling all kinds of stuff from CD's, crafts, gifts, stationery to antiques. There's so many stalls I dont know which one to stop at! I guess I'll just have to stop at all. Tonight I will visit the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Ukraine’s independence square.

Day 13 Kiev Beauty At It's Best

The time for Kiev is finally here! I'm being guided through the famous St. Sophia Cathedral. I've waited patiently for this day to come, actually I was so amazed by everything else that I have seen on this journey that I forget all about this day. I can't find the right words to describe the beauty of the exterior of the cathedral. The sunlight is reflecting off the gold domes on the roof and blinding me with its beauty. I'm now walking through the cathedral and the inside of it is quite amazing, covered in old paintings and murals. Sadly I've been told to not take any pictures of the inside which doesn't really matter because pictures won't do it justice anyways. They have done some great restoration work here. I have never been in a church with this much artwork before. Next I'm off to the Monastery of Caves, an extensive complex of churches and museums founded by monks in 1051. This is just amazing.

Day 12 Kiev My Final Stop On An Unforgetable Journey

This morning I took the time to further explore the small town of Sevastopol and visited the city center to see the St. Vladimir Cathedral and the Admiral Nakhimov Square which was fascinating. In the evening i was transfered to the Sevastopol train station and boarded my overnight train to my final stop, Kiev, the capital and one of Europe’s oldest cities, with a heritage of Viking, Cossack and Ukrainian peoples. I was transfered to the Premier Palace Hotel from the train station. I am now at the Grand Plaza restaurant in Kiev for a special welcoming dinner and am enjoying a fine culinary experience. I'm excited for tomorrow when my journey through Kiev really begins.

Day 11 Sevastopol Khan Palace

I'm visiting the Khan Palace. The Palace is wonderful and well renovated. The staff museum is extremely friendly to visitors. I'm reading up on the history of the Crimea. The history of Crimea is far more interesting than i thought and is taking me back into the past, into a completely different world and the feeling is amazing. This place is a must visit for anyone coming to Sevastopol.

Day 10 Sevastopol Unforgetable Excursion

I've just taken a 2 hour bus ride from Yalta to Sevastopol, base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and was transferred to the Dakar Resort Hotel where I will be staying. I've decided to take an optional excursion today to the Balaklava Submarine underground base and fortress of Chombal where I am right now. I'm being guided through a 4 hour excursion of the submarine tunnel and exploring the base that was designed for the simultaneous repair & maintenance of 7 submarines. It could shelter 3000 people in case of attack and could operate autonomously for 3 years! This is quite an experience and is definitely a unique excursion. The tunnels are huge and the architectural design of them is just remarkable.

Day 9 Yalta Has Won Me Over

I'm in front of the world known Livadia Palace in Yalta, site of the 1945 Yalta Conference between Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill. This building is actually made out of white Crimean granite and is so unique to see. I can't believe I've came such a long way and am now standing directly in front of this beautiful landmark. It really is huge and i feel so tiny in front of it as its shadows over power me.

This day won't stop getting better. I'm now at the Nikita Botanical Garden featuring 20,000 plant species. I'm walking around and I'm so lost in all the wonderful colors surrounding me. The fresh water is dripping off the plants into my palm and it's almost as if the plants are talking too me. I've seen the famous flowers of Ukraine such as the Camomile's, Azalea's and the Orchid's and there's still so much more to see. Every turn in this garden reveals something new to explore.