The Kharkiv Circus

One cold winter evening a few weeks ago Laura and I went to the The Kharkiv Circus which has been around since 1883.  I didn't quite know what to expect before going in...would we see tons of animals?...high flying gymnastics like Cirque Du Soleil?...or maybe some Ukrainian hybrid? 

It was a circus in the round with a carpeted main stage so at this point I'm doubting that I'm going to see some elephants tonight.

They had a full band that was very very entertaining throughout the night...

 ...along with two clowns that filled the entertainment void while the crew was changing sets.

We saw acrobats, roller skaters, magicians, and tumblers but the stars of the show without a doubt were the dog performers.  They opened the show and would do just about any trick you could think of for a treat from their trainer.   

Eventually they all took turns jumping rope and then a little dachshund came out and did some jumping and melted everyone's heart.

During the intermission you could get your photo taken with the performing dogs.

Also during intermission smaller kids could go down to the arena floor and get strapped in to be lifted to the ceiling.  I was a bit too far away to see exactly how they were connected to the apparatus but let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised no one ended up hurt.

The second act brought out the pyrotechnics and the high flying acts...

The gymnasts were portrayed as one big family ...

...but I'm not seeing too much of a family similarity...

Overall, it was a lot of fun and one of the best nights we've had out and about in Kharkiv.

Icicles

 We've had snow this week and above freezing temperatures and so we are getting into dangerous icicle season.  All over the sidewalks you'll see the area closest to the buildings cordoned off so that you can't walk there and get an icicle to the head.  

In America about 15 people each year die from falling icicles but the problem can be particularly bad in Europe where building and walkways are often very close together.  Each year thousands of people are injured from falling icicles and St. Petersburg had a particularly bad winter in 2010.  

The worst areas are the places where you think you are not in danger.  Behind our apartment building you might not realize that five stories up there is a balcony with some dangerous looking icicles forming.

The Circus Mirrorball

I'm writing a post about our visit to two must-see attractions in Kharkiv, the Circus and Dolphinarium and while I was going through the photos I found this shot I took of the mirrorball at the Circus.  

The View From My Window #9: Quite A Difference

The view from my window tonight...

...there is quite a difference from my view back in October.

Kharkiv On Jeopardy

One of the readers of this little blog let me know that Kharkiv was mentioned on Jeopardy this week.  It was on Monday's show in the Double Jeopardy round where they had a category on The Cossacks.  They asked:

"The city of Kharkiv, founded by Cossacks to protect Russia's borders, is now in this former Soviet socialist republic."

Hopefully you all could have answered that thanks to my help!

Graffiti #10: A Face

Looking down a little alley around our apartment you can see a face sticking out through the vines growing on one of the walls.

If you are walking fast enough you might fool yourself into thinking someone was really peering through at you.

Airports I Have Known

Some thoughts [Larry King style] on the airports I've experienced in my three times across the Atlantic in the past few months...the Kiev airport is very, very, very deserted early in the morning...

...the Munich airport was a wonderful experience while Frankfurt was a nightmare.  I've never seen such a horrible airport.  Poor designs, insufficient number of bathrooms for the number of people on the concourse, and Lufthansa staff which just didn't seem to have an interest in anything beyond chatting with each other.  I didn't even really have any problems with my flights there but a lot of other people did. Here's a photo of the people waiting in line to get to the Lufthansa desk to reschedule flights or speak to a representative.  I've never seen so many passengers screaming at airline employees before...thankfully, I just took a photo of my line as I walked by.... 

...Frankfurt also had some birds flying my concourse.  It's not too reassuring to see something that clearly shouldn't have been able to get in and makes you wonder what else can get into the airport... 

...And lastly it was nice to be reminded exactly how great the Minneapolis airport is as I was waiting to be picked up after arriving home.  Free wi-fi and everywhere you turn free and available plug-ins!