“Hi Helen,
We are now back in our own beds after an amazing trip. Thank you so much for all your expert organising.
I would recommend Kiev to anyone interested in history and culture, and the same for Crimea. Sevastopol and Yalta hotels excellent, as was Kiev and Simferopol. Breakfasts to die for - from obesity! Guides always excellent in Russia and now we can say this of Ukraine also. Our Ukrainian guide would say at the end of a full days sightseeing, " oh, I just want to show you this beautiful church, it's my favourite." Of course you can't refuse, no matter how tired you are.
Highlights in Crimea - an 11th century working Armenian monastery where they bake their own pastries, a little café in Bakhchisarai where we ate plouv and homemade baklava and lemonade, Vorontsov's Palace with its shady, gardens and huge trees. The man's wife was Pushkin's mistress, and all this perched on the cliffs. The ocean one way and the mountains the other. Crimea is like the Italian Mediterranean but slightly down market, oh, and with down market prices.You always have the beautiful background of the mountains with fluffy clouds floating on top.
Again, thank you for putting it all together. I wouldn't have liked to do it myself.
Best regards, Louise”