Visiting The Dolphinarium

I finally got my act together and finished the video for our trip to Kharkiv's Dolphinarium.

The Worst Part About Traveling

The worst part about traveling far away from your home is certainly the distance between you and your family, be it physical distance or emotional distance.  Since we left America back in September, Laura and I have both had several family members die, some suddenly and some after long battles with cancer.  We have lost three Grandparents [Laura’s Grandfather Frank and my Grandparents Irv and Edie], and Laura’s Uncle Bob after battling pancreatic cancer for several years.

My Grandparents were married for 62 years and my grandfather's funeral is today a little more than two weeks after my grandmother's.  I snapped this photo of them last Father's Day at their home in Wisconsin.

When I saw my Grandfather over the Christmas holiday I had a pretty good idea that I wouldn't see him again as he was in hospice at the time.  My Grandmother's death was more sudden and I am so glad that I was able to see her this holiday season and got to take part in Lefse Day 2012.  Here's the video I made of the experience and although she didn't make it on camera in the video itself, it is dedicated to her.

Here Comes The Train!

Our current trip around southwestern Ukraine had us on many trains including my first overnight train.  This is pretty how I feel when we get to take a train instead of a bus...although Madeline would never be able to climb onto a Ukrainian train without having her father pick her up and carry her.

Irritating The Fish In Vinnytsia, Ukraine

The View From My Window #13: Lviv

We've had many bright and shiny days these past frew weeks in Ukraine...at least where we've been...I can't say for sure for the rest of Ukraine!  

Tuesday may bring a trip to the Lviv Underground which was highlighted in the movie In Darkness about a sewer worker who hid Jews in the tunnels during World War II when Lviv was still a part of Poland.  That movie and Everything Is Illuminated should be required viewing for any American living in Ukraine.  

Here is the In Darkness trailer:

My Shevchenko/Che T-Shirt

I think we are all familiar with the iconic Che Guevara image hanging in nearly every college dorm in America.  While walking around Lviv yesterday I found this great t-shirt logo which features Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in the famous Che pose.  They also replaced "Che" with "She" which is the start of spelling "Shevchenko."   

As every major Ukrainian city does, Lviv also have a Shevchenko memorial in the square near our hostel.  I like this photo I took as it give him a little of a halo effect.  You can find my other Shevchenko related posts here.

The Cat Guarding The Luggage Lockers At The Kiev Train Station

 In my friend Vanessa's blog, From Lawrence to Latvia, she often highlights the cats she comes upon her travels.  I've been doing the same thing while in Ukraine but I've been saving my shots for one big post of all the animals Laura and I have run into on our trips.  But the cat we ran into on Friday was just too good to hold onto.  We had about six hours to kill in Kiev before our train to Lviv so we went and stowed our bags in the luggage lockers under the Kiev train station.  At the end of the isle in which we stored our stuff was this sight.

This very smart cat had found probably the warmest spot in the entire station and I have a feeling there is no shortage of mice to keep him fed.  

He even gave us a nice pose when we got a little closer.