Last Day in Ukraine

1. Ana on a ride at the park behind St. Mikhail's

2. Me in the coffee shop on our corner

3. Anastasia and our favorite waitress from Le Borsch, Anya

4. Ana and Robin on dog (?) see-saw

5. Girl about to enjoy the pony ride around the park

[Phil]

Once agin it's just me. Ana had a full day and was cranky when we got home, so she and Robin went to bed about half an hour ago. The good news is that the clocks roll back tonight in Ukraine, so we all get an extra hour of sleep.

Today we mostly packed and tried to buy a few souvenirs. It was a gray day but very pretty. We saw some wedding parties taking photos at St. Mikhail's, and there were lots of people out and about. We had a nice low-key breakfast at the coffee shop on our corner ("Kofe Khauz", for those of you in the know), and then wandered down to Khreschtyk Street to buy a few Ukrainian souvenirs. We then went to Le Borsch for our last meal there. Ana was full of beans and trying to get everyone's attention, but I was very happy that we got a photo of her with our favorite Le Borsch waitress, Anya. She is yet another one of the many Ukrainians who have made our trip so wonderful. She said to me today, "It's hard, because we meet these children and then they're gone in a few days. I hope you'll come back with Nastya." (Big Smile). I told her that we'll definitely be back, if not next year, then maybe the year after that.

Okay, I'm off to bed. We're on the Aerosvit flight that leaves around 1PM Ukraine time, and then we're on the Jet Blue flight that arrives in RDU around midnight. Carmen is picking us up (with car seat!), and then we'll head to Reade Road for a very late homecoming. We look forward to seeing all of you in the next few weeks!

-Phil