Graffiti #9: Some Of The Most Famous Graffiti In Ukraine

Sure, it's not graffiti on the Berlin Wall or a Bansky, but the Orange Revolution graffiti in Kiev is some of the most famous in Ukraine. These pillars were written on during demonstrations in Independence Square following the Presidential elections in 2004 and were encased in plexiglas to preserve the art.

Here is a close up of the graffiti of Viktor Yushchenko who won the Presidential election.  If you are unfamiliar with Ukrainian politics, you may remember him as the politician that was poisoned with dioxin.

Although I can't make out exactly what it says here, the orange color is very appropriate.  

Although it is mostly in Cyrillic there was some English on the pillars including this "Together Victory."

409 KM

I think about this little marker each time I'm getting a train either or from Kiev.  It is 409 km from Kiev to Kharkiv or Харків in Cyrillic...which for Americans means...it's a long way away. 

The Kharkiv Thermometer

Although the temperatures around here have been slightly above normal recently, each day for the next week we have snow or sleet or rain or freezing rain forested for Kharkiv which should prove to be a lot of fun.  Since we have weather related excitement coming our way I thought I would show one of the highlights of Kharkiv often mentioned in guide books of Ukraine.  This giant thermometer is on one of the buildings overlooking Constitution Square and is often used as a meeting point for friends or people on dates.  

As you look at it you can't help but notice that it goes to -35 below zero Celsius.  Look at the weather history of the area it looks like we have at least one time a year where the temperature dips that low and I'll have to be sure to try to grab a photo of the red light just slightly above the clock.

Ladybird

From a set of English flash cards.

Random Picture Collection: November/December 2012

Roughly every month I collect the photos that didn't quite get their own post and bring them together in a single post.  Past collection can be found here.  

This group of photos includes shots from around Kharkiv, and trips to Kiev and Poltava, with pit stops at museums, churches, and landmarks along the way.  We start with something I've seen a million times in my life but I've never actually seen.  The hammer and sickle symbol representing Russian communism has always been yellow on a red field and it wasn't until visiting a museum in Poltava that I actually got to see an authentic hammer and sickle positioned that way.  

The train platform in Poltava...not a person in site.

I didn't hear any ambulance sirens so I think this guy made it down okay.  

This is the Kharkiv River which flows into the Lopan River which eventually makes its way to the Black Sea. 

Kharkiv's train station on a rare sunny day.

A giant patch for my patch collection of the official symbol of Kharkiv.  We have cornucopia crossed with the Greek symbol for the staff of Hermes which I had no idea is called a caduceus.

Just walking to the train station in Kharkiv and saw this...

Turns out "it" was a mascot for a sunflower seed company and they were handing out free samples.  

Ancient statues made by some of the first inhabitants of Ukraine. 

Like the American mid-west, Ukraine has a rich wholly mammoth history and I was wonderfully surprised to stumble upon a mammoth skeleton at a museum in Poltava.

Ukrainian folk symbols.

From the same museum as the hammer and the sickle from earlier...this was in the section about the farm collectivization.  

 A mosaic in honor of Ukraine's sunflower tradition. 

Another orthodox church...this one under renovation.  

Another church but I'm not sure where...they are starting to blur together a little bit.

 The awesome Rotary International bell which the club's president uses to call their meetings to order. 

Embarrassing Your Dog

For Christmas, I bought my parent's poodle, Trippie, a penguin outfit.  He's in a sweater throughout the fall and winter anyway, so playing dress up is something he's used to.  .   

He didn't really like having the penguin hood up but we finally got a photo of it.

The suit is was actually big enough to fit over his normal sweater so he seemed to like it as he was a little warmer and by the end of the day he seemed to be used to it.

Which brings me to Riga, Latvia.  Laura and I were walking back from dinner when we heard a commotion coming up behind us.  It sounded like a group of people catching up to us...but upon turning around we were treated to two people with two dogs wearing shoes.  

The other dog was comfortable with his shoes and had a maroon leather that reminded me of this photo.   

 The larger dog was dressed in what looked like a mink stole and was having a little more trouble with his shoes.  The sound he was making walking was something like this.

I'm glad to see that embarrassing dogs is an international sport.

The View From My Window #8: Premium-Comfort Kiev!

After several delays, Monday found Laura and I back in Ukraine and at the Kiev train station...a sort of home away from home where we've spent many an hour waiting...and waiting...for our trains to arrive.  

This was our fourth trip through the station but the first where we've seen it decorated for Christmas.  Orthodox Christmas traditions run nearly through the end of January and so it was nice to see a huge decorated  tree in the middle of the stations entrance.

The station was particularly busy and we met up with two friends and so seating was limited where we normally ended up sitting.  We were walking around and came to an area of the station we hadn't explored before...and then we saw this sign.

"Premium-Comfort"?????  Yes, please!

Turns out it is a "private" waiting room which costs about $4 U.S. dollars to access.  It has huge leather coaches, TVs, and about a million less people.  Kiev train trips will never be the same again!