Auscoprut Hotel Ivano-Frankivsk

... not like the service very much and I don't think they were wanting Italian, so they decided to leave and meet up after lunch. Scott and I shared a "peperoni" pizza which was more like salami, but still good. Then we each had a scoop of banana gelato. Finally we went back to the office and they had our certificate stamped! We left around 3:30 and headed back to Svalyava. We got to Svalyava at 4:30 and had to get all of our papers ...

... again. We gave her some apple juice and an apple. She played with a few toys and I tried to read her a book but it didn't hold her attention for long. We ran the halls and spotted the cats as usually. <br><br>So now we are sitting at the post office while Zhenia runs around to the judge's office and the inspector's office. The plan is to meet up again in an hour for lunch. <br><br>So here is the plan for the next few days:<br>At ...

... job! Roselana (mom) came in too and she did Roselana's (daughter) nails. They requested Brittney Spears and Lady Gaga so we partied on and had a girls night! Once our nails were finished me, Scott, and the Roselana's played 500 Rummy in which Scott won. He was losing at the beginning, but Pasha came in to watch our game and Scott turned up the heat! <br><br>This morning we had another very good visit with Talia. Guess who was one of her caretakers ...

... was there and it was time to go. When we went back to drop her off in her room and say good bye, it was snack time there too and the group was all worked up! So we had our good byes and she took off after the caretaker who was holding the snacks. In the meantime, another one of the kids came running over to the door by where we were and starting calling for us. Talia realized this was going on and came tearing after him, shouting. I thought she was going to ...

... we had some cauliflower stuffed with meat, eggs and we're not sure what else. Also we had more soup and potato pancakes. I at least tried the cauliflower, which is a big step for me, and of course Scott ate his portion and the rest of mine! Roselana just seemed frustrated with me, but I can't help it! Their daughter, Roslana, is very picky too. After dinner Pasha, Roselana, Scott and I played uno until around 9:30 or so. <br><br>This ...

... enough!<br><br>Anyway, last night was more fun at the orphanage. Talia had a change in her playwear - into some overalls, which she was pretty pumped about. We played in the ball pit and roamed the halls...the usual! We're still learning colors and numbers and Talia seems to be picking up on some of it! Sometimes it is hard to tell when we ask for a "yellow ball" if she grabs the yellow ball because its yellow or because its ...

... took us back to the house. Today we tried to direct him to come here to the restaurant and he seemed confused still. Oh well. Scott and I have come to the realization that there are some things here that we just won't understand or know what's going on. We will leave here with some unanswered questions, but we're ok with that! <br><br>Last night for dinner we had cabbage rolls or holubtsi. We explained to Roselana that Scott's grandma Clara makes ...

... was) and wandered around trying to find a cafe. Instead, we found a market, selling flowers, fruits, vegetables, meats, stationary, car parts, toys, anything you could want - short of coffee. Eventually, we found a coffee shop (that also sold fruits, beer, and dried fish) and sat around for an hour watching Kolomyya wake up. I had my first espresso, which I didn't care for, but I think the caffeine did me some good. Kolomyya, though a decent enough place, isn't exactly on the tourist ...

Last weekend I made a short trip to the Carpathians with some friends to 1. climb the tallest mountain in Ukraine and 2. to avoid the forcasted craziness of the Ukrainian elections. We took the overnight train to Ivano-Frankivsk and then a marshrutka to Vorohta and later yet another car to the sports' base at the bottom of Hoverla (the highest peak in Ukraine). Initially we thought we wouldn't have enough time do do everything we wanted, but in the end on Saturday we made the 2061 meter ...

... saw in his drunken sights. The bus was only 5 minutes late and we got on hopeful as it seemed like a pretty nice bus that had air conditioning and was kept in a good,clean state. We got going a little later than originally anticipated because by the time they realized we were missing one person who had signed up for the weekend trip we were on our way out of Rivne. Well, we finally got on the road around 5:30. We were told we'd get to Yaremcha, about 350 kilometers from Rivne, no ...