Yaroslavl

 We got to do some sightseeing in Yaroslavl (the town where Ella was born) on Gotcha Day, right before we went to the orphanage.  Here are some interesting facts I found after doing some research... 
Yaroslavl was officially founded in 1010 by Prince Yaroslav. Before that, it was a small but growing trading post inhabited by pagans who worshiped a sacred bear. According to legend, Yaroslav rode into the village, killed the bear with his axe and thus subdued the city. Today, the fabled site of the ceremonious killing is marked by a large stone monument and the city's emblem features a bear and an axe.

Located along the banks of the Volga and Kotorosl rivers, the city was long an important commercial center. After being declared the capital of its region in 1218, the first stone buildings were built, although none of them survive to this day. By 1463, Yaroslavl was usurped politically by Moscow, and it was never to regain its former power, except for a brief period in the 17th century when it was temporarily made the capital of Russia after the Poles and Lithuanians captured Moscow. With over 600,000 residents, Yaroslavl is, by population, the largest town on the Volga. 

Here is the Kremlin in Yaroslavl
(There was also a gift shop here, so we were able to buy something special for Ella from her birthplace)

  Here is the church of St. John the Baptist, featured on their 1000 ruble.

 Parliament of the Yaroslavl region, with an ice skating rink in front  :)

 Here is the infamous Volga river (the largest river in Europe) on which Yaroslavl is located

The top of the river is almost frozen over!

 The doors to the orphanage in Yaroslavl, where our little girl spent the first year of her life.