Ukraine vs. Spain Hockey Game

I put together a little movie of our experience at an Olympic qualifying hockey game between Ukraine and Spain when we were in Kiev.

Graffiti #7: The Face(s)

UPDATE:  I found my first multi-colored Face behind a fence:

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One of the most prolific graffiti artists in my neighborhood around Freedom Square is the person who paints these monster faces. To me, he looks like a bizarre relative of Oscar the Grouch.  I've been wanting to post this first face basically since the day I arrived as it was the first graffiti art beyond someone painting a word or letters that I came upon.  

I'm glad I waited though as I've come upon many more examples of this artists work.  Here we have a basic monster with almost a happy look on his face.

And with the addition of some eye brows and a hat [is that a hat?] it looks a little more menacing.

These last two are the most disturbing I think and they are located right next to each other on the same street.

This one looks to be a work in progress that was possibly interrupted mid-spray.

And last night as we were walking home from dinner I saw another piece located down an apartment's alleyway but lurking around a Kharkiv alley with a camera at 9:30pm is not the best idea so that will have to be for another day.

More Shevchenko

Snow arrived in Ukraine on Saturday but it didn't stay too long, I'm afraid.  The snow looked particularly lovely brightened by the statue to the poet Shevchenko.  I wrote a little post about him back in September.

One Shevchenko statue deserves another, doesn't it?  This one is located in Poltava.  

And here's another statue...this time from Kiev.

At a museum in Poltava they also had this amazing mosaic of Shevchenko.  

Since being here in Ukraine I've embraced the need for a nice mustache and I'm trying to do my best Shevchenko impersonation...although it will probably take years to get it as bushy as his.  

Car Talk

So what is going on in Freedom Square today...it's Day 3 of setting up the city's Christmas tree...which is a little surprising they are setting it up so early as much of Ukraine is Orthodox Christian and their Christmas is celebrated January 7th.  It's a difference in the Gregorian and Julian calendars that causes the difference.  

So that's what's going ton currently but how about a few weeks ago?  How about a car show?!  Why not!  While I'm pretty good with American cars these European ones are mainly a mystery to me.

Along with classic European cars there were also some military vehicles on display.

If I changed this one to black and white it might look like it it was a genuine World War II photo thanks to some collectors dressed as soldiers...so let's give it a try...

And here's the result...not too bad I must say.

To My Readers Who Smoke

To my readers who smoke, bask your eyes upon the most popular brands of cigarettes in Ukraine and the incredibly low prices...a typical brand of Marlboro is 13 hyrvnia which in dollars is about $1.56 a pack...take that and compare it with the U.S. state prices and you'll cry a little.  

Nevertheless, I've been very surprised how not smokey Ukraine has turned out to be.  There is no smoking in most public areas and shops and most restaurants have non-smoking sections that are well ventilated. .  

The T-shirts of College Sophomores

I've often heard it said that the only actual communists in America can be found on college campuses and I think I stumbled upon their clothing store while shopping in Kiev.  

The Motherland Monument

Without a doubt the most impressive thing I've seen so far on my adventure to Ukraine has been the Motherland monument at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Kiev.  Laura rolls her eyes for a few reasons, one being that we've been to many historic and remarkable Orthodox churches including The Lavra which is the center of the Eastern Orthodox religion in Eastern Europe.  We've seen the museum to honor the tragedy at Chernobyl, the site of the Orange Revolution in 2004, and many other spots that could be contenders and I've chosen a severely Russian monument that it turns out isn't the most popular site with Kiev citizens.

It's really hard to miss the monument from anywhere on this side of Kiev.

There is zero parking around the monument so everyone takes a stroll towards it as it slowly gets larger and larger in the skyline. 

As you walk up to the monument they pump in traditional Russian folk and military songs to enhance the experience.  The museum itself is located directly under the monument and as an American it's nice to see an Eastern Front museum as we get almost none of that in the States.

Another view of the 62 meter statue...which is a little over 200 feet high:

Along with the monument and museum there are several statue/murals done in the famous Socialist Realism style.  I love this style so much and this first piece with the Ukrainian people looking at you as you walk by is truly haunting.

Here are a few more murals surrounding the monument: