I was so tired when I wrote last night I left out some interesting details. 

The Opera was sung in the original Italian and there were superscipts to help those who did not know the libretto,  in Ukrainian.  Not being Opera buffs, I had looked up the plot summary before going.  Good thing,  otherwise we might have been very lost.

We had no time for dinner as the curtain was at 7! We stopped at a mini mart across from the hotel and bought crackers and enough cheese to satisfy us.  We ate these on padded velvet benches in the cloak room before going to our seats.  The audience ranged in age from very young to some elderly with what seemed to be all ages in between.  Also the economic spread seemed quite broad as well judging by the variety of dress we saw.

One of the buildings we saw is Chimera House.  It is built on the side of a cliff with the back being 5 stories and the front only 3.  The roof line and facades are detailed with fantastical creatures out of cement.  It is really visible from a long way off and directly across the street from the Presidential Palace.