It was a 70 km (45 mile) drive to Yalta over the mountains. The scenery was spectacular. It looked very mediteranean - like Italy. All along the road were poplars and junipers and local farmers selling their huge vidalia-type purple onions which were strung up on racks. Apparently, that is a local specialty. Yalta was a nice town. There were palm trees and lots of other greenery. The roses are still blooming, although it is mid November. Jim was feeling worse by this time, and so we decided that perhaps a shot of vodka would set him right. This local cure-all had worked for Cheryl in a similar situation on our last trip to Ukraine, where she was suffering due to an overindulgence in well water. So we stopped at an outdoor cafe/bar on the waterfront and ordered some drinks.

There was a very extensive outdoor flea market on the waterfront. Cheryl bought a couple of amber necklaces, 5 nicely illustrated children's books in Ukrainian, and a pair of sunglasses, since she had forgotten hers at home. The total bill for this shopping spree was about $22. It was actually very difficult to find books in Ukrainian. Most of the books were published in Russian. While we were shopping, Jim found a bench and tried to overcome his bad stomach.

At about 3:00 we got back in the cars and headed towards Sevastopol for lunch. The road was extremely curvy and hugged the foot of a huge cliff on the right, with the Black Sea a few thousand feet below us on the left. Very impressive, especially with the sun beginning to set and casting an intense warm glow on the face of the cliffs. Every curve revealed a new vista.

Jim decided to skip dinner, he remained in the car and took a nap. We ate at a Tatar restaurant on the cliff high above the town of Foros (of literary fame). The dining room was mostly empty...we must have doubled the occupancy with our group. There was a sink on the wall right next to our table, with a towel, and we were advised to wash our hands and dry with the communal towel before we sat down to eat. Zhenya ordered for the whole party. We had cold vegetables and mutton, with a huge fried pastry shell filled with ground mutton and spices. It was greasy, but very, very good. Probably the best mutton I have ever eaten. Desert was interesting - a stick of Juicy Fruit chewing gum in the wrapper, served on a plate. One for each guest.

On an isolated crag between the restaurant and the sea stooda breathtaking Orthodox church with golden onion shaped domes sparkling in the sunset. After dinner, we drove over to the church and stepped inside for a minute. It was dusk by then, and the sky was yellow, orange, and red where it met the sea. It made a very beautiful picture. Inside, the church was dark, but there was just enough light to tell that it was gorgeous. There was dark and luxurious choral music coming from somewhere (a recording, no doubt) which just added to the sense of mystery and beauty of the place. I could have stayed there a long time and just soaked it in. Jim, however, was understandably anxious to get home so we didn't stay long.

The trip home was curvy and fast and dark, a little bit nerve racking at times. We got home at 6:30. Tanya had dinner waiting, which, of course, nobody wanted. We made arrangements to go to church at 10:00 tomorrow morning, following a brief visit to the orphanage.