The Crimea!

So I decided that it was time I started updating everyone on my adventures this year!

Well I did eventually part from my life in Russia, which was very hard! I was so attached to my kids there and it was hard to leave them! At least I know that I will see them again someday whether it be in this life or the next! But I think of them often! AND there was my Russian family and the girls that had become like sisters to me.....ah BUT I did survive!

Holly, Branda, and I set out! We had a fun day in Moscow (It was HOT and SUNNY!!!) followed by 4 days of misery! At the Russia/Ukraine border we were kicked off of the train! Can you believe it? Branda actually had to jump off when the train was moving! There were some problems with her Visa and the only reason we made it out ok was because God sent us some Angels when we were so lost and didn't have any idea what to do, so anyway long story short, we spent 4 days on trains or at train stations and Branda went back to St Petersburg and Holly and I went on to Ukraine, which would be our new home for the next 7 weeks! We left from Kiev and on to Sevastopol (which is on the Black Sea).

We had such a blast! We were on the Black Sea! We just walked around and enjoyed meeting new people, beaches, countryside, caves, mountains, cliffs, Monatery's, Mosque's, and rich history! I will never forget it!

Ukraine has some beautiful countryside! Holly and I missed our stop on the train! (hehe we fell asleep because we were exhausted!) So we had to walk back one stop through these gorgeous fields, on our way to Bakhchisarai!

Khans Palace, Bakchisarai, Crimea, Ukraine! GORGEOUS! This is an old Mosque!

The Crimea used to be part of Turkey, so there are still a lot of Turkish towns there...They sold Baclava everwhere....I told Sean about this and he told me that I had to try it in memory of him! It was really tasty, but very different from the Baclava that I am used to!

This is a Monastery that is built into the side of a mountain! It is a pretty hike up there, and hundreds of people do it daily, just to get holy water! Farther up this canyon there were caves!

This is at the entrance to a mountain full of caves! It is absolutely Beautiful, we had fun just walking around, soaking up the sun, and singing like we were in the Opera - echo's can make you sound pretty good! haha

This is the harbor in Yalta! It is such an amazing city! It has many beauties!


We rode a Gondola car up this really steep cliff on Mt. Ai Petri. On the top there was a turkish town where you could shop around and ride camels and what not....the view from the top was breath-taking! We were in the clouds, LOVE IT! The pictures dont do it justice!

On the way down Mt. Ai Petri, we stopped at a waterfall! I mean seriously, this little peninsula has everything! It was so fun! Holly, Sarah (a girl that met up with us that will teach in Kiev also), and Me!

This is the view from the porch of the Massandra Palace, which is the Mansion that the Yalta Conference was held at! Yeah I was in the same room that Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin had meetings about world peace! It was great!

This is the boardwalk in Yalta! We walked down it often, and got really delicious ice cream and pizza! It was so relaxing after all of our stress from traveling to get here!

Look what I found when we went shopping! I should have bought it! haha

This is a terrible picture! But this is Bora and Giga! They are the people that we stayed with in Sevastopol! They were really nice! Bora picked us up from the bus stop and payed for us to get to his house, then they took us out to dinner that night! There are such nice people all over the world! I will never forget any of them!

Well, I suggest everyone book their tickets for the Crimea! It is amazing! This isn't even close to half of the pictures we took of amazing places! I hope you all get the chance to go someday!

Love you all, Dena