It's 11 am, here in Kiev, Ukraine and I wanted to say hi! After not sleeping for about 24 hours, and 15 hours of traveling, I arrived at the Kiev airport. I met a Ukrainian guy who was just returning home from Alaska, and he was happy to meet and help me and speak English. His father was meeting him at the airport, so they found the bus and saved a seat to take us to the train station. I then met a friend named Victor Merkulov, He earlier agreed to meet me, and then he helped me buy train tickets. We made sure they were on the RIGHT day! :) Because last year when traveling around Ukraine, the tickets were on the day before we traveled, and my mom and I had to share a place to sleep on a traine, bleh!

We then ordered a taxi to take us to Anya and Kolya Bogdan's house. Kolya was my zone leader in Gorlovka then my AP when I was in Kharkov. Anya is the daughter of Sergei and Lena Agarkov, who live in Gorlovka and whenever I visit them, they treat me like a queen! :) The taxi was 53 Griven, but the taxi driver would have charged probably 200 griven if it was I, an American, that ordered it. The currency right now is 8 griven to 1 dollar.

We arrived, had some delicious food, I was crazy tired, but at the same time had passed that stage so I had energy, and their cute little 3 year old daughter put on a model show for us. Her language is so hard to understand, I told her that she is speaking Chinese, but she is fun, and in the nightly prayer she said thank you for letting aunt Robyn come. :)

I am so so excited to be here, and Ukraine is so wonderful! I didn't have any major mishaps getting here. On the 10 hour flight from SLC to Paris, I sat next to a man from an Indian/French Island who was a born again Christian and said he had never met a Mormon in real life! He asked many questions, which was great, but kept interrupting me to ask other questions. It was a good experience, even though I struggled to understand his English.

Okay, I'm off to start another adventurous day! Love you!!

Robyn Alise

Ukraine... ready or not!

Well, here I am, off on another adventure! I love traveling, I love seeing new cultures and new places, but alas... I love Ukraine! So, due to that fact, and indeed, it is a fact that I love Ukraine, I'm taking off tomorrow, Monday 3 October! I will be traveling around to a few cities, and also will have the fine privilege to go to the Kiev, Ukraine temple!! I remember having special fasts and prayers on my mission, for them the church to have permission, and the it be the right time to start building.

I think I will check in here every so often, to this lovely little blog of mine, to share my thoughts, insights, and experiences. Please stay tuned...

P.S. General Conference was wonderful this weekend. I'm so excited for life, it's a grand thing!!

Goodbye Lovely Italy!!!!

Today, Saturday May 28 was wonderful! I met up with my friend, Loredana Rizzo, near the train station in Venice. We met 10 years ago when she came to Spanish Fork as a foreign exchange student and became good friends. Thanks to facebook, I let her know when I was coming, and her and her boyfriend came an hour by train to spend some time with us. She is as cute and fun as ever! We meandered the breathtaking streets of Venice, looking at gorgeous Murano glass and gondollas cresting along the waterways.

For a snack they bought a plate of fried seafood... So, not knowing what I was eating, I partook... and they laughed at my reaction, especially when I needed to take the bones out of my fried sardine. My favorite was the fried squid! Yum!

After some more meandering, and picture taking we ate lunch ate a quaint cafe where I tried pasta with salmon and artichoke, delish! My favorite dish here in Italy. Of course the pizza has been divine, but my favorite is pasta.

I just want to jump for joy that I have the opportunity to be here! I have taken many pictures, and for sure want to return! Who is up for a trip? :)

I fly out tomorrow morning and am not sure how to get from the hostel to the airport... every person I ask gives me different directions. It will work, I know we have been protected and guided this whole trip!

And I bet I will hear Italy telling me as I take off "Ciao Bella!"

Venice, city of Amazing Beauty!!

Yesterday, Thursday 26th was our last wonderful day in Florence. We did some more hiking to gorgeous cathedrals, found an ancient cemetary and sample more gelato at the Florence Gelato Festival. We left Florence around 2 pm and Ashlee and I were on separate coaches on the train. Although, I was lucky to have seats next to 2 Russian ladies from Moscow. We started chatting about life and it turned into an hour 1st discussion . It started off with the ladies seeing me read a conference Ensign and I showed them the pretty picture on the front of the Salt Lake temple, and said that I was a member of this church. That lead to them asking what the difference was in my church and the Cathilic or Orthodox. Well, let me tell you.. and I can do it all in Russian :) They were very kind and attentive, not all the time though, but I was happy to share. I brought pass along cards with me, and gave one to each and pointed out the website.

We arrived in Venice, exhausted from hiking in the morning and needing to once again orient ourselves to a new, but gorgeous, city. We walked to a bus station, got on bus 6 and asked people about our bus stop. Bless these lovely Italian people, they dont quite know their way, but they are willing to help. We are staying at Camp Jolly, a nice place FAR from Venice, but we have our own little bungalo, with an attached bathroom and shower! Each place gets closer, in Rome, we had to walk down a path about 3 minutes, in Florence it was down the hall and some stairs, and now we have it attached!

This morning, Friday, we walked to the bus stop and had to wait an hour for the bus to come! Some girls said that there was a strike and transport wasnt getting in our out of Venice. But when we got to the city we didnt see anything unusual. Our only destination was St. Mark's Basillica and we mozied around all the little streets and it took about 3 hours to reach it. So many beautiful little streets, waterways and bridges. I was amazed!

The Basillica was built in the 11th century and has golden mosaic walls and ceilings. It is built out of multi colored marble, and the floors are even made of multi colored mosaic. A Basillica is a cathedral that holds the remains of a saint, and the remains of the apostle Mark are held here.

Wow, wow, wow!

Love, robyn

P.S. Skychayu po tebe i hochy videt tebya skoro!!

Uffizi Art and Gelato Festival... I love FLORENCE!!

Uffizi art gallery, one of the most famous in Italy! I was lucky enough to see paintings by Raphael, Michelangelo and Rembrandt! Those who know me, know I LOVE paintings. I do prefer French Impressionism and Russian 17th and 18th century, but this was an awesome opportunity!

Ashlee and I stumbled upon the Florence Gelato Festival!! So, we came to find out that Gelato was first created in Florence, so every year they have an annual festival in a beautiful town square in front of a palace. About 20 shops were there competing to create new, unique flavors. So we bought a card for 7 € (Euros) and could sample 5 flavors. We shared 3 flavors 1st Avocado gelato.. interesting, 2nd cucumber and fetta cheese (delish) and lemon with basil (slap in the face strong) I then tried Mushroom flavored gelato.... quite interesting!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

So we stumbled upon an old cemetary here in the Fabulous city of Florence and found out the English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning is buried here, wow! She is the poet of the poem entitled How do I love thee.

Today I was able to sleep in till 10 am! We spent time looking at the outdoor leather market, garden parks, annoying pigeons, intricate cathedrals, and many piazzas... basically town squares. One of todayàs highlights was seeing the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore Duomo. It is the city's main cathedral and dates frm the late 13th century. Check it out online!

Another highlight was seeing the sun set at Piazza Michelangelo! After a full day of walking every where, many many miles, we decided to make a hike up to this piazza. It was worth it for the view. We could see the expanse and rooftops of Florence, and the sky was lit up purple and pink. It was breathtaking! This was the first full city view I had because all over Florence are tall buildings, narrow streets and it is very compact. It makes it nice to walk to all the sights, but a person with claustrophobia would suffer :)

I love meeting new people, learning new things about the culture, and seeing gorgeous buildings created long, long ago! To end the day, on the walk back to the hostel I bought a kebab, or in Russian a shaurma. A food from the Middle East, a slab of juicy delicious meat, rotating and sliced, put in a tortilla with cabbage, lettuce, and sauce. Yum! It was almost delicious as my lunch today of pasta and a pesto sauce.

I'm enjoying Florence much better than Rome because it is easy to find attractions, there are actual grocery stores, we can walk throughout the city, and many people are helpful and speak English. I recommend you to hop on a plane now and come join me in Florence!

While swimming in the Mediterranean Sea

Wow, what an awesome, action packed day! It all started when the alarm clock went off at 4:40 am, and for those of you who know me, that is no good :) And, there was a huge grasshopper in the hostel bathroom that was going to eat me, but alas, I escaped! The taxi ride was fast and furious, and the train ride to Cinque Terre (Chinkwa Terra) was gorgeous Italian Country Side. I loved loved the 4 cities we saw of the 5 connected on the edge of a cliff. We went on a 3 mile hike (intense hiking... it was a mountain) from Monteresso to the next city of Vernazza. Then ate delicious gelato, then went swimming in the sea!!! It was freezing at first, but soon I was loving it! I just canàt believe where I am and all that I am seeing! We then went on another hike, but much smaller from Manarola to Riomaggiore. You all need to come here, or at least check it out online.

I have crazy stories about trying to find the hostel, but more will come later. Also check out my traveling buddies blog!

Love you all!

Rome is just splendid, ancient and breathtaking!

Rome has so much to offer, my life is complete day by day! After a full night's rest (thanks to melatonin and dramamine) I was up and ready for fun and walking, lots of walking. Since it is Sunday, we were in dresses and headed to Rome 2nd ward. Unfortunately that part of Rome wasn't on the map so we just crossed out fingers, prayed and kept asking people for directions. We were told to go right, then left, got off bus 90, back on, back of and walked then directed to get off bus 90. Aaahhh, make up your minds Romans :) We were finally blessed with directions when we asked an Asian lady who was smoking where Piazza Carnaro is and Via Panario. She asked in English "why?" then in Italian "Perque?" We said that we wanted to go there, and again why? When she asked if we were looking for Mormones, we were elated! She walked us there while saying her husband is a member, one of those good active ones :)

We were escorted upstairs, watched the first meeting on a projector screen and given headphones! Church was translated! Afterward we went to Vatican City to see St. Peter's Basilica. It was majestic and very very impressive. We then walked to Trevi Fountain, one of Europe's most famous fountain, then walked along a small alley way with art displayed, and came to the Pantheon! It was built in 125 AD and the Pope reconsecrated it in 609 as a Christian church. At this point the rain started to pour, and pour and pour. I decided rather than be soaked, to buy a 5 Euro umbrella which I bartered down for 4 Euros.

Walking through the streets of Rome, getting rained on was so adventurous and mysterious. It was an eerie feeling walking through the forum, the Roman ruins and knowing how many thousands of people have walked here. We meandered through puddles to the Colosseum, that is right... THE colosseum, nearly 2000 years old and the largest amphitheatre in the whole of the former Roman Empire.

While using the metro I had flashbacks and longing to be in Kharkov and Moscow. I love metros! So many times today I overheard Russian, so joined in the conversation :) 3 people on the metro were from Ukraine and one guy kept asking me, "So, you're not from Ukraine?" and "You're parents are not from Ukraine?" He was just so stunned that some American girl was touring Rome AND able to converse in Russian.... I was pleased.

I ate a delish pizza for lunch, and for dinner :) I also had some divine gelato, my new favorite flavor is pistachio. I am lovin' this life!

Remember that one time in Rome....

Remember when while taking a shower at the hostel after a long, long day flying and walking around Rome, when I was covered in suds from soap and conditioner in my hair, the water stopped working :) Im having a blast already!!!

I flew out of Salt Lake airport in the afternoon on Friday the 20th, and flew from SLC to Paris. My seat partners were great, a young couple from Salt Lake that spoke a little in the beginning, but didnt bother me much for the 10 hour flight, which was nice. It was SO painful to fly into Paris and not stay, one of my life goals is to spend time in Paris touring art museums. After an incredibly long wait till the next flight (okay, only 3 hours, but it was only supposed to be 2) I was off to Rome, Italy!

That was an interesting flight because I sat next to a cute 26 yr old girl from Argentina. She only spoke Spanish, so I had to go way back to my Spanish speaking days. I kept thinking in Russian, and would accidentally throw a Russian word in. It was funny! At one point when I was talking about why I spoke Russian, and my religion, she thought I was saying I was being God while on a mission. Oops... sure hope I cleared that up :)

I arrived in Rome, with no idea where to go, what a situation! I planned to meet my friend Ashlee at a statue in Rome near a metro, but I had no idea how to get there. Luckily, and with Gods help and planning, I met people along the way. While buying a train ticket to get me from the airport to the metro (14 Euros!!!) That is highway robbery, anyway I met a mother and daughter visiting from France who were headed to the same Line A. We chatted and I didnt feel so alone. When I left the Argentine and the French girl I got their emails and facebook names. I will have connections all across the world! When I visit France someday I will have to stay with them.

I caught the train, the metro and met Ashlee and the correct statue! We then did what I have been waiting years to do.... eat Italian pizza and pasta and oh was it fab! The menu said the pizza had mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, ham and an egg. An egg? I like trying new things, so we got it and sure enough, there was a quarter of boiled egg sitting on top. Not spread throughout like the mushrooms, but just sitting there waiting to be eaten by myself!

We needed to head back to out hostel, but unfortunately the tram was closed, so we figured out another way home, a couple bus switches, went in a circle once, had gypsies ask for my ticket, nice nice bus drivers, found an American girl to help us find our hostel and now, this leads me to how I began.

After flying all day and not sleeping for a long long time, I was ready for a shower. The water wasnt working, so we went to another shower station and still no water. No problem, after all... I am in ROME!! Finally the water started, then stopped when I was not ready for it to stop :)

One of the funniest moments was in the shower music was playing, and it was old school 80s music, but terrible 80s music! Then during the commercial break the broadcaster announced their stations logo "The Best Music Around" It was pretty ironic and funny ;)

I'm Outta Here!!

And I'm off! I fly out today to Italy and I am very excited! I've never been to Italy before, let alone Eastern Europe. I had some help from great friends last night. Thanks for helping me pack and arrange things Melissa and Trisha, without your help, I wouldn't be prepared!

Since we are backpacking, I wasn't sure what to bring and even which bag to use. I decided on a small one, crammed everything in, and now I'm ready. I do have some worries about work... Being a social worker is pretty time consuming, and requires all my attention. I planned, prepared, and did my best. So, when I get on the plane today, I am turning my work mind off and hoping (and praying) for the best!

So, I fly out this afternoon, and will be gone for 8 blessed days. I will make some stops at internet cafes to keep you updated. Thanks for reading :)

Preparing...

So many things to do... such little time! I just ran back into my apartment in Provo (literally) and my roommate asked one word... "stressed?" It is Wednesday evening and I am leaving Friday afternoon :) I am flying into Rome to join the lovely Ashlee Norris for a week of adventures! More details to come later