Independence Square in Kyiv and Sofia Bulgaria

Here we are at our apartment building as we begin our trip to Independence Square.  Our taxi drivers are on each end and in the middle from left to right:  Pres. and Sister Ball, Elder and Sister Callister, Marcia.

The Monument of Ukraine's Independence in 1991.

We were surprised to see that Mickey Mouse was visiting Kyiv!

The other side of Independence Square.  On the weekends there is a lot of activity here.

Under the square is a large Metro Station and also the underground Globus Mall.  Here you see one of the many fresh flower stands around Kyiv.  The people here love flowers.  Aren't they beautiful?

After visiting Independence square we met Elder and Sister Kempton (legal counsel missionaries) at a Ukrainian Restaurant.  Jay and Elder Kempton served together in the Central Atlantic States Mission from 1962 - 1964.  They haven't seen each other since.  What a coincidence to meet in Kyiv.  From front to back:  Marcia, Elder and Sister Kempton, Elder and Sister Callister, Pres. and Sister Ball.

One more picture like the last, but with Jay in it.

The outside of the Restaurant.

Looking through the park at Red University.

Calling a taxi.  Jay and Marcia decided to take the Metro and bus home!

The dark opening in the bottom middle of the picture is an alley that leads to the Church Service Center here in Kyiv.  This is where the legal counsel missionaries serve.

We went to Sofia, Bulgaria on April 9, 2012.  This is the little Hotel we stayed in.  It was small, but clean.

Marcia in front of the Hotel.

Across the street from the Hotel was a Military Museum.  This picture was taken from our Hotel room window.

This is the front of the Bulgarian Mission Home.  It used to be the Cuban Embassy.  It is very lovely inside.  There is a chapel inside where both branches in Sofia meet for Church.

Another picture of the Mission Home.

Walking from the Mission Home to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the center of Sofia.

One of the Main Streets in the center of Sofia.

 The back of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

The National Art Gallery in Sofia.

The side of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

The front of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

The yellow building is an Academy of the Sciences, the large statue faces the white building in the background which is their Parliament building.

Front of the statue.  The large building in the background on the left is a Radisson Hotel.

This was a monument in a park we walked past called Doctor's Garden.  The stones piled on top of each other had names on them and we assume they were those who lost their lives in a war with Ottoman in 1877-1878.

Front doors leading into the Parliament Building.