Odessa, Ukraine

We are really enjoying our time in Odessa.  We have walked around downtown, gone to the ballet at the Odessa Opera House, gone to the circus, played at a park - several times, and gone to the Black Sea.  Sasha has enjoyed most of it.  :)  This is our last week here and we hope to tour the catacombs of Odessa and maybe hit the zoo.  Here are a few pics of our life here in Odessa.

                                                      the beautiful opera house

                     

 These are the Potemkin Stairs and are considered the formal entrance into the city from the port.  They are designed to create an optical illusion so that from the top looking down you only see the landings and the stairs are invisible and from the bottom looking up you only see the stairs and the landings are invisible.  Pretty cool.  

                                                       This is the one walled building.  :)

                                                        Ali and me at the port of Odessa

                      

  This is the Mother's-in-law Bridge.  It is the longest, tallest, and narrowest bridge in Odessa.  If several people stand together and jump at the same time, you can feel the bridge moving.  It was quite unsettling!  Couples put the locks on it as a token of their love.

                         
                          Sasha looking at the locks on a heart sculpture at the end of the bridge.

                               Sasha had so much fun jumping on the trampoline at the park!

                 I think he is really tired of me taking his picture but he actually asked me to take this one!

This is a water station that people can come to and refill their bottles with drinking water.  I am still a little dubious about this water so will just continue buying ours.

We had chicken spaghetti for supper and Sasha added some ketchup to his.  Gross!!!  But he ate every bite.  What a funny boy.

We are definitely ready to be reunited with the rest of our family, but Ali, Sasha, and I are having a great time.  Sasha is a bright, funny, sweet kid and we are truly blessed that he is a Selman!