We had to get up at 4:00 am and take a taxi to Heathrow airport for our 7:00 am flight to Kiev. Terminal 5 looks very new. It's spacious and well designed, probably the best I've been through. Had breakfast there and the flight went smoothly. No one was at the airport in Kiev to meet us, but eventually Don Miller and Alex, our local guide/interpreter, showed up. Shortly thereafter the rest of the group also arrived. All of our flights were within a hour of each other. We then loaded up the van and headed for downtown Kiev. We walked to and around Independence Square, then went for dinner at a nearby buffet style restaurant. The borscht and the cherry filled pyrogies were excellent! Then it was back in the van for about a 2 1/2 hour ride to Zhitomer and then on to Pulin, the small town where we are staying. The landscape looks a lot like Alberta, relatively flat with fields, bush, and the odd slough. The Community Centre where we are staying in Pulin is a new building. The accommodations are basic, but more than adequate. Dave and Cathy got the "honeymoon suite", the only room with a double bed and bathroom. The rest of us share bathrooms. There are computers and WiFi in a room upstairs, so we can stay connected with the world. We're in a semi-rural setting near a large pond which was quite picturesque at sunset. I expect we'll have a pleasant stay here.