Hi Everybody! A few belated notes about Chernobyl. The tour-bus ride from Kiev was about 1.5 hrs; about 28 people, mostly Brits were on the bus. The Brits were in Ukraine for World Cup Soccer (England lost). The tour began at Hotel Rus--a fitting start. The Chernobyl disaster occurred Apr 23, 1986, when a safety test went wrong. Radiation from fallout was at least 100 times that of Nagasaki and Hiroshama combined. 40% of Ukraine forest was contaminated; 6% remains contaminated today. Ukraine estimated 25,000 to 100,000 fatailities (I bet they understated by 50%). Initial winds were to the N [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! I am going to get Walt to write a summary of his visit to Chernobyl later. This is a very old computer. I am having to hit most keys more than once. I apologize in advance for errors. I do not always have time to proofread my entries. I know the when to use "there and their." I cannot tell you why I sometimes type the wrong letters. I have had to go back repeatedly on this blog and reinsert apostrophes and ts. They keep disappearing. Our train trip from Warsaw to Vilnius was uneventful. The scenery was pretty [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! I started this blog in Kiev and am finishing it in Warsaw. Before I finish telling you about Kiev, I want to tell you what happened to us on the train. We left Kiev on Monday morning at 9:30 and rode the train until 1 AM. For many miles, we just enjoyed the scenery which consisted of beautiful orange and yellow folliage and farmland. On the farms, we could see piles of pumpkins and cabbages. We saw one of two men and women working on individual plots using hand tools. We often saw a horse pulling a plow. At [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! Walt and I enjoyed our overnight train ride from Odessa to Kiev. Before boarding the train, we were approached by a nice young Ukranian woman. She asked us to watch her baby while she went to the restroom. Later, she explained that she was an internet bride. She met a man from Arkansas, married him, has had 2 sons, and is visiting Ukraine for the first time in 10 years. We enjoyed the time that we spent with her. When we arrived in Kiev, we decided to go ahead and purchase train tickets to Warsaw for next Monday. This [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! Yesterday, we took a bus from Odessa, Ukraine to Chisinau, the capital of the poorest country in Europe. Moldova is in SE Europe between Romania and Ukraine. It is a scenic country full of green rolling hills and river valleys. The earth is so dark that it looks black. Moldova is known for its wonderful wine. This weekend, there is a wine festival in Chisinau. We passed many vineyards on the side of the highway. They are also known for their excellent cognac and beer. In 2007, the Bere Chisinau was awarded the number 1 Gold Metal at the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! Things have improved since my last blog. Yesterday was a beautiful day! The rain disappeared and the city warmed up. We were able to spend the day in the Old Town section of Odessa. We walked to the Odessa Opera and Ballet House. Nearby was a cluster of museums - Literature Museum and an Archaeological Museum. There were many monuments and parks in this area. We saw a statue of Catherine the Great, Duke Richelieu, and many more. It was fun just to people watch in the park and promenade areas. One photographer had animals hanging around his neck [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! Before I talk about the Ukraine, I want to say again how wonderful the people in the Republic of Georgia are. They constantly tried to give us things and do kind things for us. They would throw money back in our purse, hand, pocket, etc. At the hotel, they would bring us fruit, sweets, etc. They would say things like, "I love you!" It was very touching. Georgia and Armenia are two places that I would encourage you to go. There are many wonderful countries in Eastern Europe that I would like to go back to someday. - Slovenia, [View Full Entry]

---

---

I finally found a computer that would allow me to actually see the pictures before posting. I am sorry if you got this message twice. Today, I had a problem in that the language was in Georgian. It took me awhile to figure out what to do. Everette [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! Wow! We are having a great adventure. If the rest of the trip goes sour, Armenia and Georgia will make it worth while. We left Tibilisi, Georgia yesterday by marshrutka, a privately owned minibus. This is the way that people in many countries of the world travel. We used them in Central America and found that they are the main form of transportation in this part of Eastern Europe. To catch one between towns, you go to the Central Bus Station. You will see men standing around by a bunch of vans. Each van holds about 15 people and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi Everybody! After writing yesterday's entry, I was surprised to go outside and find that the temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees and it was raining. We decided to take a cab back to our hotel. By the time we got back, it was dark. I stayed in for the rest of the evening. Walt ventured out to the nearby shops. He thought he would bring me back a small .25 L bottle of wine similar to what was served on the plane. He didn't realize that he was buying something like cognac with 40% alcohol. I took one sip [View Full Entry]

---

---