VISITING KHERSON

Today we are visiting Kherson, our first town on the Dnieper river.  Up until now we have been on the Black Sea.  

Out on-board treat today was a buffet of typical Ukrainian food served on the outdoor deck.  I thought  all of it was delicious.  They did something very simple with shredded carrots that was particularly wonderful.  After lunch we went on a city tour of Kherson, visiting some big commie memorials and St. Katherine's church, which is a really lovely and simple church. 

Today is a holiday, May 9, Victory Day.  This decorated veteran was very happy to have zoe take his picture.  The people playing whistle and bandura were at the church and were accompanying these adorable girls dancing.  

I think a lot of what we might have seen today was closed for the holiday.  Generally speaking, a lot of the business of this town is around shipping, but because of the economy and the price of fuel, our guide tells us that there is very little shipping on the Dnieper river.

This bench in the park is where brides and grooms come on their wedding day and put a padlock on this bench.  When we looked at them closely,many of the locks are engraved with the names of bride and groom.  Probably part of a wedding package.  

Last night we had a music contest. We had to name the country a song came from, then answer a question about it. We won.