Yesterday's blog was a bit pessimistic in outlook but things happen and sometimes everything is not all cheery and upbeat. Then today you take a tour and realize that your problems are pretty small compared to what others have faced. Plus it really helped today that I found the grocery store and finally found the Internet plug so I could get on line.
Today I was joined on my tour by a guy from Toronto. small world isn't it. Pretty foggy out today but it didn't rain on us, only meant we couldn't cross the river for a panoramic view as we wouldn't be able to see squat.
We visited the War Museum first. nothing like looking at scenes from a war that will put you in your place. It is an excellent museum but I don't know if you can get an audio tour in English. Since I had a guide and interpreter, I never checked. You need one or the other because I didn't find much in English there. But a really good museum covering mainly battles fought on Ukraine soil and liberation of some villages and cities.
And as if that wasn't enough to make me stop feeling sorry for myself, we visited the Chernobyl museum. Another excellent museum. What horrific tragedies these people have lived through.
On the up side, we strolled through the market. a lively place which is open every day and some days has vendors all the way from one end of the street to the other. I was able to get a stacking doll with a Ukraine flair. I have several of them from Russia already. And there were lots of cats running around the market which is always fun for me, to pet something warm and fuzzy.
We also visited the Ukraine Fine Art Museum which had numerous icons from various centuries. It's interesting to see a painting of Christ with a 19th or 20th century local politician painted standing next to him or to see an icon of the Virgin Mary with Ukrainian clothes. Well, why not. who knows what they were really wearing.
Several brides out today too. We ran across a bride and groom posing at St. Michael's church. Bit different from the brides in Uzbekistan as she needed a white coat over her wedding gown.
There was a big rally of some kind tonight on the main street which is closed to traffic on weekends. When I left my apartment around 4:30 to look for some dinner and breakfast for tomorrow, people were streaming up the street and carrying flags and banners. When I finished shopping and returned to my apartment, the line to go through the underground passage to cross the street was 4 blocks long. Later I heard fireworks but I was on the wrong side of the building and could just see them reflected in another building. Must have been a good rally.
Tomorrow I move from Kiev to Kharkov. I am going by train and supposedly it arrives around 9:30 but I saw a blog on the Internet from a guy on the same train that got there at 11:30 so don't know what time I will arrive. I am supposed to have an Internet in that apartment so if I do, I'll post tomorrow. If not, then the next day or so. Hopefully will be keeping up better.
Today I was joined on my tour by a guy from Toronto. small world isn't it. Pretty foggy out today but it didn't rain on us, only meant we couldn't cross the river for a panoramic view as we wouldn't be able to see squat.
We visited the War Museum first. nothing like looking at scenes from a war that will put you in your place. It is an excellent museum but I don't know if you can get an audio tour in English. Since I had a guide and interpreter, I never checked. You need one or the other because I didn't find much in English there. But a really good museum covering mainly battles fought on Ukraine soil and liberation of some villages and cities.
And as if that wasn't enough to make me stop feeling sorry for myself, we visited the Chernobyl museum. Another excellent museum. What horrific tragedies these people have lived through.
On the up side, we strolled through the market. a lively place which is open every day and some days has vendors all the way from one end of the street to the other. I was able to get a stacking doll with a Ukraine flair. I have several of them from Russia already. And there were lots of cats running around the market which is always fun for me, to pet something warm and fuzzy.
We also visited the Ukraine Fine Art Museum which had numerous icons from various centuries. It's interesting to see a painting of Christ with a 19th or 20th century local politician painted standing next to him or to see an icon of the Virgin Mary with Ukrainian clothes. Well, why not. who knows what they were really wearing.
Several brides out today too. We ran across a bride and groom posing at St. Michael's church. Bit different from the brides in Uzbekistan as she needed a white coat over her wedding gown.
There was a big rally of some kind tonight on the main street which is closed to traffic on weekends. When I left my apartment around 4:30 to look for some dinner and breakfast for tomorrow, people were streaming up the street and carrying flags and banners. When I finished shopping and returned to my apartment, the line to go through the underground passage to cross the street was 4 blocks long. Later I heard fireworks but I was on the wrong side of the building and could just see them reflected in another building. Must have been a good rally.
Tomorrow I move from Kiev to Kharkov. I am going by train and supposedly it arrives around 9:30 but I saw a blog on the Internet from a guy on the same train that got there at 11:30 so don't know what time I will arrive. I am supposed to have an Internet in that apartment so if I do, I'll post tomorrow. If not, then the next day or so. Hopefully will be keeping up better.
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