Day two and three, March 23 and 24

Days 2 and 3 (Friday and Saturday here)
On Friday we took a minibus down towards independence square.  We didn't actually make it, but we learned a lot about where we are situated!  We did find a tourist center with really great maps that have Cyrillic AND Latin letters!  Whew!  Why my lonely planet book and map don't have cyrillic is beyond me.  Next door to the tourist center was a McDonalds...which had a much needed bathroom.  So, though we didn't have a chance to miss it yet, we had fries and a soft drink too.  McDonald's is considered a nicer place here, and we were amazed at the size of it and the number of people mopping the floor at any given time.  They do have bathrooms, though, with toilet seats, toilet paper, and soap!  Who knew!

There was a guy letting people hold doves for a few grivnas, so both girls took a turn.  They loved it and talked about it several times through the day.

 These are pictures from the Bessarabka market, though I got them off google images.  Completely accurate, though.

 Today we got our act together and brought the wagon, and made it to three churches and the artist's alley.  There is a road by St. Andrews called Andrivey Utz (and I butchered the spelling) and for those of you heading this way, it's completely under construction.  Don't bother.  The vendors spill out into the street next to it, though, which is not under construction.

Okay, back to pictures. This is the (newer) entrance to St. Sophia's, which is over 1000 years old. 

 Inside St. Sophia's grounds.  There are numerous buildings, but this is the main church.  We liked that all through the interior and exterior, they left portions of it uncovered so you can see what it was like originally.  The mosaics in particular were amazing.

Outside St. Sophia. 

As a side note, C has found himself a church visiting partner.  E's favorite things so far are the churches and she's really enjoyed going in them.  M and I spend a good bit of time playing in the grass outside, which is what both of us would honestly rather be doing anyway.  Now if I can get one who loves outdoor markets...

Also, there is no photography allowed inside any church, so here are a few from google images for today.
First, St. Andrew.  It was covered up with construction, so I didn't get a good picture.  This is the prettiest one we've seen, in my opinion.

 Inside of St. Andrew.  I took the girls in and they were a little overwhelmed by the people inside.  It's a functioning church, so we had to talk about head coverings (mine included), lighting candles, and praying to saints.

 Inside of St. Michael

 Inside St. Sophia

 One of the playgrounds we found today

 I mostly thought of David Sinrich when I saw this picture.  This is a balcony to play on with a ladder on each side of the head, made of metal and concrete.  I kind of love it.

 The other side, with E looking out over the balcony

 M said this was her nice dragon, and was petting him.  Again, playground equipment.  Admittedly, they had (wooden, carved) playground equipment that was more modern, but not as interesting.

 Everyone was taking their pictures with this statue.  We figured we might as well too.

 Playground behind St. Michael.  I went in to buy icons and candles, and C took the girls to play.  They had a bouncy house for a fee, but cheap and totally worth it!  Happy girls!

 I ran to the supermarket across the street, so C got this shot.  Although we have about a million shows on itunes and dvds, the girls are fascinated by Ukranian Disney.  I think they were watching Good Luck Charlie...in Ukrainian.