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.

Day 8 Yalta and Wine!

I've arrived at Simferopol and boarded the famous trolleybus of Crimea, the longest trolleybus line in the world. It's taking me to my next destination, Yalta. This bus ride is so exotic, I'm looking out the window and witnessing the most beautiful mountain views of Ukraine. I can finally sit back, relax and feel the real beauty that this land has to offer. I opened the window and was gently hit on my face with the cold fresh mountain breeze. What a feeling this is!

I arrived at the Yalta trolleybus station and was transfered to the Yalta Intourist Hotel where I will be staying. I was picked up at my hotel this evening for an outing to the Massandra winnery, Ukraine's oldest winnery where I am right now enjoying a fabulous wine-tasting excursion. This is just a great way to end my day. I've already sampled 10 of Ukrainian's finest wines and there's more to come. It's a good thing I don't have to worry about finding my way back to my hotel since I will be transfered back with a designated driver. I can enjoy as much as i want!

Day 7 Odessa My Final Day With You

I'm currently standing in the busy Privoz Market, one of the largest farmer markets in Ukraine. I've never seen this much food before in my life. From fruits and vegetables to fish to meat to cheese to sausages. This market has it all! The market is packed with locals who are buying large amounts of food and sampling free samples as they walk through the market. The free samples are just so fresh and i can't stop eating them. I'm actually starting to feel like a local myself. Maybe I do belong here but it's almost time to say goodbye to Odessa.

It's the evening now and I'm boarding my overnight train to Simferopol where I will be arriving tomorrow morning. I'm seated in first class and the comfort is amazing. I'll be getting a good night rest on board for sure so I'll be ready for whatever tomorrow has in store for me.

Day 6 Odessa Off To The Beach

I'm just stepping out of the taxi and my bare feet just made contact with the warm soft sand of Ukraine's most famous beach, the Arkadia Beach. The warmness of the sun is hugging me and pulling me towards the clear blue water. I already know this is going to be a day that I'll never forget. Wow, it really is true what they say about the most beautiful girls live in Ukraine. The local girls surrounding me on the beach are leaving me speechless. Arkadia Beach, this is truly heaven.

I worked up a huge appetite on the beach and am now at the Arkadia Plaza restaurant. The food here is amazing, I had a delicious bowl of the famous ukrainian borscht soup for starters and now im enjoying some delicious beef. The food is well presented and Ukrainian's seem to be very generous in food portions. I dont even think I can finish it all! The food is so good that I almost forgot to mention the beautiful waterfront view that I can see from my table.

Day 5 Odessa This Trip Is Only Getting Better

Today I’m in the busy city of Odessa. My plane landed at the airport last night at 10:40pm and I was transferred to the Londonskaya Hotel where I relaxed for the night. I’m exploring the city on my own, the terraced hills and landscaped parks are even more beautiful than I expected. I’m standing in front of the famous Potemkin Steps what Odessa is known for. I'm standing at the top of the stairways, all I can see are a few landings, however, when I stand at the base of the steps, all I can see are steps and not the landings. It’s an optical illusion! This is truly something you need to see for yourself to believe. I'm continuing my stroll down the famous Primorsky Boulevard. It's a beautiful alley with trees and architecture that blows your mind. The locals are so friendly and are taking pictures of me in front of all the beautiful buildings. Ukrainian's are really great people to be around. I can't stop making friends.

Day 4 Lviv Do I Have To Leave You?

I’m out again in the city at the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre. A modern ballet production of Orff´s Carmina Burana is about to begin and I'm awaiting anxiously in my seat. I can feel the excitement building up inside of me. Tickets were surprisingly only $5.00 so I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity. The building’s interior is sumptuous and worth a visit alone. The performance has just started the sound in here is just booming and i can feel it through my whole body. The quality of the orchestra is just stunning and the ballet performance is moving me rite out of my seat. Wow, this is really something to see. I can't miss a thing!

That show was amazing I can't stop thinking about it. I'm now on the bus heading from my hotel to the Lviv airport where I will be catching a flight to the city of Odessa. This city has been amazing and I don’t want to leave but at the same time I can’t wait to arrive in Odessa because I know there’s much more waiting for me over there.

Day 3 I Think Im Falling In Love

This morning I work up and enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast at my hotel. I was anxious to start exploring the beautiful city of Lviv so I set out to the historical city center which was rite outside the front doors of my hotel. I’m walking in the Ploscha Rynok Market Square and admiring the architectural beauty of all the cathedrals surrounding me. I haven’t been here for a full day yet and my camera is already full. I’m heading down the main street which is Nezalezhnosti St. which is full of many locals walking around and they all seem friendly. There are many bars, cafes and restaurants in this part of town and the air smells delicious so I will have to stop for lunch soon. I had lunch at the Restaurant Belvedere in the city center, the food was well prepared and delicious. I am now on my guided evening tour of the Lviv historical museum. It’s even more interesting than I had imagined. I feel like I can really visualize and trace the historical past of the town of Lviv and the lands of Galicia from olden times to modern days. After this tour I will be taking a short taxi ride to the Zolotyi Vepr restaurant where I will enjoy some of the best European and Ukrainian cuisine which is included in my package.

Day 2 Lviv Here I Am

Its 5:35pm, my plane has touched down and I have arrived safe and sound. The service on board my flight was great and I felt relaxed so I was able to get a good night sleep. The Dnister Hotel in the city center is where I will be staying in Lviv. Conveniently the hotel offers bus service to and from the airport so I will be getting on the bus and heading to the hotel. It’s been a long journey of flying so I will spend the evening relaxing at my hotel.

Day 1 Here We Go

I just arrived at the Montreal Trudeau Airport for my flight to the beautiful country of Ukraine. I’m extremely excited for this once in a lifetime journey. The time is getting near to board my overnight flight with LOT Polish Airlines which will be leaving at 7:00pm. I don’t enjoy flying too much but I’m just too overwhelmed to think about that rite now. I’ve never flown with LOT before but have heard nothing but great things about them and I’m excited for the new experience. I will be connecting in Toronto and in Warsaw and will be arriving in Lviv tomorrow evening. My adventure is about to begin!