A few excursions

Saturday after the BC guys and Eugene left, the Steinbach team went back to work. A little later Garry came in and told us he had booked the sauna for six o'clock earlier in the week.


 So they finished tiling for the day so we could leave around five pm. Carol didn't go in the steam room but Marcie and I tried it- she was brave enough to jump in the cold pool afterwards, too. The farm employee crew- Max, Artom, Anton and Vlad- joined us, after chasing down some cows that were out.

We had some refreshments at the sauna and then went out for a late supper at Puzata Hata.


I think everyone slept well that night. Breakfast was later than normal on Sunday morning, not until eight pm, we had been eating at seven all week.






It was Easter Sunday back home, but Palm Sunday, or Willow Sunday here in Ukraine. The guys who are leaving before next Sunday- pretty much everyone except Doug and Marcie- will miss celebrating Easter this year.

We went to Dnepro for church, (12 in the van with Nelly) and we saw a few people who had been at an Orthodox church carrying pussy willow branches, but I did not get a photo of anyone. This year is has been so cold that there are fuzzy little buds on them, last year they were leaves on them. Misha had a bit of a joke to start his sermon, that we could wave our hands in the air, because in English they are palms.

By the time we had communion, it was after one before church was over. It was two before we got to the fully stocked Puzata Hata downtown- last night there had not been much left for choices late in Zaporozhye. This time everyone who wanted cherry vereniki (pierogies) got some, the night before there were none to take, only potato or meat. There were even fancy lattes for the coffee drinkers.

Monday morning at 8:30 I went along on the Mennonite tour most of the group were taking, while Ed stayed in the village and helped Garry with tiling and other projects.

 We had rain off and on all day, luckily mostly on when we were riding the van with the guide and mostly off when we were out walking and looking at buildings and cemeteries.

 

 We had lunch around two at a gas station and after a few more towns and a tour of Zaporosia city and a look inside the Orthodox cathedral we had dinner at 6:30 at the hotel's Ukrainian restaurant. The van had us home at 8 pm. Garry and Ed got home from dinner at the same time, they had gone to the restaurant up the highway.

 

Tomorrow Ed and Vern will be on the early morning flight heading home, and the rest of the guys will be busy replacing the roof on the new house.