LST TRIP TO ODESSA

The weekend after our trip to Peregova, the LST team and our faithful companions decided to undertake an even bigger adventure: a visit to Odessa, a city on the Black Sea. We left late on Friday and spent an 8-hour night on a train that, as someone was quick to point out, was not exactly like trains in Western Europe. But the important thing was that we got where we wanted to go.

Here Oleg and I are in front of one of Odessa's most famous landmarks, its opera house. I've been assured repeatedly that it is considered the third most beautiful in Europe, right behind the opera houses of Vienna and Paris.

Odessa's other famous landmark is these steps, which go down several flights to the sea port of Ukraine.

Part of our adventure in the city included a boat excursion in the harbor. About the only thing I remember about the excursion was that it was very windy and a lot colder than we expected it to be. Tafanie, I think, particularly regretted the unfortunate temperature.

Here I am with the national flag-the self-appointed, completely unofficial Miss Ex-Patriate Ukraine.

And, of course, no visit to the Black Sea would be complete without some time invested at the beach.

After six weeks, the first LST team returned to Tennessee for work, summer classes, and various other obligations. But they were replaced by a second team of four people, also from Knoxville.

The second team included Mike Buckley, the campus minister at UTK, Amy Gregg, Jana Lillie, and Kelly Milam. I kept meeting with most of my readers, and these four continued working with the readers who had been contacted by the first team.