russia: moscow in February

As January ended with a lot of snow, the beginning of February continued with a lot of snow. I loved every minute, even if it meant I had to wear a hat all the time. (I hate wearing hats.) There were numerous days that I took photos in the park by my flat, on my way to the metro. It was definitely a winter wonderland.

Near the beginning of the month I spent a Saturday afternoon out at Izmailovo. The wind was blowing the snow every which way, and it was cold, but it was still fun for me. 

I took a heap of photos, and eventually went home with super red cheeks. There weren't many people out that day, probably due to the weather, I explored some areas I hadn't seen before.

Near the end of the first week in February is the birthday of the state museum system in Moscow, a day (or weekend,) on which entry is free for quite a few museums in the city. Claire and I planned a Friday evening meetup to go to the state history museum. We got there and discovered a huge queue of people, which was not exciting to see. (We have seen a number of these queues, each time there is a free museum Sunday.)

We ended up skipping the museum, and just going to dinner instead. We'd rather pay the entry fee, and not have to visit while the entire city was there with us.

My spring break was at the end of February, so it seems I did next to nothing in Moscow during the month.

March should provide more adventure :)

russia: moscow in January

I returned from my New Year's holidays 14 January, (yay for 3 weeks of holidays!!) so I only had about half of January to explore Moscow. Since my flight arrived Sunday morning, Claire and I arranged to meet up around noon. I knew I needed to get back onto Moscow time as fast as possible, and staying out in the city would be a good way to do that.

One of the remaining holiday activities going in the city was a slide made of ice. It was a really cold day, but I still had fun going down the slide. That being said, you could tell it wasn't new anymore. The ice wasn't as smooth as it should've been. Even so, I wouldn't have minded doing it again. I love these kinds of activities, I wish it had been around a bit longer, or started a little earlier.

After the slide we went to dinner, and while we were walking, we could see ice and snow being shoveled off roofs all over the city. Winter can be rather dangerous in Moscow, both from above and under your feet.

In past years in Kyiv, Ukraine I've taken part in an event/holiday called Khreshchenya. In the western Christian world it would be called the 12^th day of Christmas, or Epiphany. In countries where Orthodox Christianity is popular, the tradition is to go for a 'swim' in a lake or river. I did it three times in Kyiv, and loved it. I was excited to participate in Moscow, and to make comparisons.

The 12^th day of Christmas by the Orthodox calendar is 19 January. It was harder for me to figure out where to go, as it turns out there were quite a number of event locations around the city.

I had arranged months previously to have that afternoon off work, only to discover that week that Russia does things differently. In Moscow the main part of the event is the evening before, which meant I was heading out in the dark and cold.

I chose to do my part in Sokolniki Park. It's a big park, I ended up wandering around a little lost for a while before finding the right place. When I got there I discovered everything much more organized than it had been in Kyiv. Sokolniki Park had a special tent set up as changing rooms, separated by sex. 

There was a security guard keeping the queue in control, only a limited number of people were allowed in the tent at one time.

When I got inside and changed, I was able to leave my bag hanging on a hook while I took my towel with me and got in another queue to go back outside. It seemed to me only one 'group' was allowed outside at once. Since I was doing this by myself, that meant I was by myself. Well, not completely by myself, as there were several official people out there as well. A photographer, a videographer, two people dressed in wetsuits, ready to go in the water immediately if anyone had any trouble.

The area to go in the water was really small. It was a hole cut into the ice, with a set of stairs on two sides of the hole. I walked down the stairs, went under the water 3 times, then walked up the stairs on the other side. I had hung my towel on the railing right next to the hole, leaving my jandals under the towel; As I came back out of the water, it was too easy to grab my towel and jandals straightaway, I had no time to get cold.

What I'm trying to say is that the whole experience was very ver safe. I didn't feel as if I was doing anything risky, or dangerous. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to get any photos or a video or my experience.

Since I'd already arranged my afternoon off, I took the chance to go for an afternoon walk in the city. It ended up being a cold walk, as the wind was blowing quite a bit. Still, I always think it is worth it to go for a walk.

That evening all three branches of my school had a dinner together. Good food, and lots of dancing. It's always fun to see people let their guard down and have fun.

On Saturday Claire and I met up for a weekend adventure. We walked from my flat over to Moscow State University, about a 15 minute walk. It was blowing snow, which made the walk a little more of an adventure. 

The main building of the university is impressive at all times, it was fun to see it in winter.

We had been there about ten minutes when a group wanting to take wedding photos arrived. They immediately asked us to move, and I said we would be done in a couple minutes. They said they were there to take professional photos, and asked us again to move. I repeated what I said before, adding that we had been there first. Yes, I know that's petty, but I didn't feel as though they were more important than we were, just because they had a better camera. (Plus, the wedding dress wasn't very pretty.)

After leaving the university, we hopped on the metro, over to a completely different area of town. We went to the area around the Cosmonautics Museum, and took note of the architecture of the museum. We saved a visit to the museum for another day.

From there we walked across a street to get to an area called VDNKh. I have no idea what the acronym means in English, I'm not even sure how to describe the area. There is a giant gate to walk through, topped with sculptures of Soviet workers. There are a bunch of buildings in the complex, each representing a country in the former Soviet Union. 

We were visiting during winter, which meant the annual ice skating rink had been set up.

This 'rink' wasn't like a hockey rink, it was more like a long wide track that circled around the area. We liked watching people fly by, and we enjoyed the holiday lights that still decorated the whole thing. The place was packed, ice skating outside in winter is a popular activity in Russia.

The next day we met up again, and headed to a new (to us,) region of Moscow: Kolomenskoye. I'd been there one afternoon in early fall, but coming in winter was a completely different experience. It was beautiful to see everything covered in snow. We went in both of the churches, and watched people going for rides on the troika (a traditional Russian sleigh, pulled by horses.)

This particular Sunday was the third of the month, which meant some of the museums in the city had free entry. One of them was in Kolomenskoye, it was one of the former lodges/homes of the royal family. 

We had fun wandering through, along with every citizen of the city. I was more interested in the wooden exterior of the building than I was in the interior exhibits.

The following Wednesday afternoon I went back to UMAM museum for another exhibit. This one was all about North Korea. There were some portraits of the leaders, 'statues' wearing traditional Korean clothing, an old motorcycle, etc... Interesting, particularly because I'd visited the actual country previously.

The last day of January made me happy. SNOW SNOW SNOW. Bring on the rest of winter :)

belarus: brest

After booking my trip to Minsk, I did some quick research. A name that kept coming up was Brest, that is a city in the far west of Belarus. There seemed to be more mentions of Brest than Minsk. I decided to do a day trip if I could make it work time wise. 

My first day in Minsk I made my way to the train station and found tickets that would make a day trip to Brest feasible. When I say feasible I mean possible, not convenient. 

I woke up early that morning and got out the door by 0505. I walked 55 minutes (in the rain, ugh,) to the train station and found my train. The train was just like the trains I've ridden all over Ukraine, I knew exactly how everything worked. We departed a couple minutes late and just over four hours later arrived in Brest. 

I like the train station in Brest a lot more than I like the station in Minsk. It is like so many of the classical, nice looking stations I've seen all over Ukraine. 

It took me a few minutes to get oriented, then I started walking. I started on Lenin street, which is apparently still okay here. (I think they've renamed everything to do with Lenin in Ukraine.) Nothing was particularly exciting, oh well. 

After a few blocks I spied a church a few blocks down a street to my left. The street itself had a nice green pedestrian lane in the middle of the street. 

The church was nice, and not crowded. I had a headscarf with me, but this was a church that wants women to wear skirts as well so they have wraparound skirts available to borrow. 

Not long after I walked out I heard the bells serenade the hour. Lovely. 

I went back to Lenin street and kept walking. Eventually I got back to a statue of Lenin himself. Yay! I was able to set up my tripod and take a full body picture of me with the man. 

Almost in front of Lenin, on the other side of the street was a Catholic Church. I stepped inside and realized people were arriving for an Easter service. I stayed for a few minutes, then stepped back out. 

I walked to the intersection of Lenin street and Gogol street. Gogol street was another street with a greenway in the middle of the lanes. This greenway was unique in that there were artistic lamp lights every few meters. Cute.

I walked a few minutes the opposite of the way I needed to go, just to see the lamps. I wonder what time they're turned on every day. 

I turned around and walked back in the direction from which I'd come. When I got to the intersection again I kept walking, and followed Gogol street to its end. 

At the end of Gogol street I came to the main sight of Brest, the fortress. 

In the middle of the fortress walls is a wide, open area. In the middle of this area are several large things. Two of them are memorials to the soldiers of WW2. These memorials are even bigger than I'm used to seeing, which is saying something. The interior of the church was totally quiet, and made of unpainted brick. As always I looked up, but the cupolas weren't anything exciting. Parts of the church were decorated for Easter, which was nice. I absorbed the atmosphere for a while, I usually like standing in a house of (any) faith for a few minutes. 

As I walked through the area I realized I was getting cold, especially my hands and fingers. The wind was crazy strong but not consistent in direction or force. My hair went everywhere. I walked every path I saw, even ducking outside one of the gates of the fortress at one point. 

If I'd wanted to, I think I could've walked along the outer walls, or along the moat. It was raining a bit harder at that point, which didn't help my comfort level, argh. My umbrella is old and rather useless at this point, it wasn't doing me much good. 

I walked into St Nicholas, I was the only one in there at the time. The cleaning lady showed me how the church looked back when, as well as during the war, and after being redone. The photos are impressive. The interior of the church was totally quiet, and made of unpainted brick. As always I looked up, but the cupolas weren't anything exciting. Parts of the church were decorated for Easter, which was nice. I absorbed the atmosphere for a while, I usually like standing in a house of (any) faith for a few minutes. Plus, it felt warm inside, which felt amazing on my fingers and hands. 

I kept following paths, and eventually made my way back to the gate through which I'd entered the fortress. If the weather had been better I think I would've walked all over the grounds. I also skipped a military museum. 

I followed another street, walking past a train museum. Since it was outdoors, I didn't feel like stopping. Plus, the fence outside wasn't blocking everything, and I enjoyed the views of the various trains. 

My next stop was a supermarket. Exciting, I know. I realized I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since my quick yogurt and banana breakfast at 0615. I've learned the hard way that I need to stay hydrated. 

I found another church, this one was green. The interior wasn't at all exciting. 

It turned out I had wound my way back around to another part of Lenin street. I followed it again, coming to the same intersection with Gogol street. 

I turned and walked along part of the street I'd already seen. This time I kept walking, eventually coming to a millennium memorial. It was okay. 

As I walked during the day, I didn't see many people out on the streets. I didn't know if it was because it was Easter, or if because the weather wasn't great. Or maybe a combination of the two. I also noticed most businesses were closed, even those that appeared to normally be open seven days a week. I was a bit nervous the cafe I wanted wouldn't be open. 

Fortunately, the cafe I wanted was open. And it was warm inside. The desserts were fabulous. Chocolate cake with ginger frosting, yum. It was nice to sit and relax and warm up for an hour. 

While I was sitting inside I noticed it was snowing outside. Snow on 16 April, really? Quite heavy for a few minutes. Lucky me, I got to walk back to the train station in the end of that mess. 

As I got back to the train station I saw that my train was already at the platform. I didn't have to wait inside, yay. 

The train ride back to Minsk was easy and smooth, and a bit faster than the ride in the morning. 

It was nice to see Brest, but I don't get why it seems to be such a hotspot. It didn't feel like it was big enough to be worth spending more than a day exploring. Maybe the weather made a difference in my impression? 

Plus, I didn't see postcards or magnets. What kind of city in this area doesn't have either of those? Or maybe I didn't see them because all the stores were closed. Oh well. 

ukraine: lutsk in winter

This was my second trip to Lutsk, and it didn't start out very well. I took a night train from Kyiv to Lutsk, arriving at 5 in the morning. The bad beginning to this trip was when I woke up in the middle of the night on the train and had to run the length of the train to get to the bathroom and puke. It was not at all fun, and I have no idea why I got sick.

My train arrived mostly on time, about 10 minutes late. That's not bad at all for an overnight train. When the arrival time is just after 5 in the morning, 10 minutes definitely doesn't matter. Because of throwing up in the middle of the night, I still didn't feel very good when I arrived.

I ended up sitting in the train station for more than three hours, hoping I would feel better, and trying to figure out what time the electric train to Klevan would depart.

I ended up not figuring that out, and assuming I missed it. I used google maps to figure out how to walk to my hotel for the weekend. They let me check in early, and I stayed in my room for a few more hours. Basically I'd been in Lutsk for something like six hours before I even started walking around the city to explore. I still didn't feel good/normal when I walked out of my hotel, but I was feeling cabin fever and didn't want to waste the entire day. What did help was the hotel lady bringing me tea, as well as a few biscuits, YUM.

I checked the temperature just before venturing outside, it was -9C. Not as cold as I've experienced in Ukraine, but pretty much the coldest so far this year. I bundled up and started walking. Everything was snow covered, and hadn't yet turned into ice, so it was cold but not difficult walking.

My first stop was in a small park. There was a large WW2 memorial, in fact it was basically the entire park. I stood in one place to take a photo before suddenly slipping and nearly falling. Apparently I was standing on part of the monument itself, whoops! I managed to get my feet under control and take my photo without falling, thank goodness.

I kept walking, and made my way to a large platz at one end of the old town area of the city. On one side of the platz is a theater in front. The statue in front is of a poet, Lesi. On another side of the platz is a giant sign saying I love Lutsk. I was thrilled that the whole thing was written in Ukrainian, as most of these signs I've seen have been written in English. The letters were white, which made it a bit hard to see, with all the snow everywhere. Of course I took a selfie with the sign. With the cold it was actually rather hard to smile!

Next to the square is a church, the Holy Trinity Church. It's fairly big, but when you go inside it doesn't feel that big.

As I entered I realized it wasn't nearly as crowded as the last time I visited, and one side of the church is being worked on, so there is construction stuff everywhere. It wasn't warm, but it was warmer than the outside. I sat (on a side bench, as Orthodox churches don't have pews and chairs everywhere,) and enjoyed the quiet for a few minutes.

I kept walking, and came to another intersection where I turned left. Not too long after I walked past a government building with a religious mural on the side. This is Ukraine, and such a thing is totally normal.

My next stop was Lubarts Castle. It looks more like a fortress to me, but who am I to quibble with the name. It's quite pretty with all the snow. The entry fee is a little over $1, I'm amazed that such a small amount can make a difference in taking care of the place. Inside the casle/fortress is a courtyard, off which you can enter a bell tower, the walls, and several museums.

This time I chose to go in the museum of books, since I hadn't seen it before.

The book museum was really small, but I liked it. Many of the books on display looked really old, and if I'd been able to read the signs I probably would've learned more about the books. I like seeing old stuff, even if I don't know what it is.

In the middle of the courtyard, below what is now ground level is a church. The entry has not been open the two times I've visited, so I really don't know if it ever is open, or if it's mostly buried. I find it fascinating that the ground level of the place changed so drastically.

After leaving the castle/fortress I walked to St Brigits Monastery.

It was originally a place of faith, and is again now, but the history is long and varied. It was built as a Catholic monastery, but over time (in the 19^th century,) was changed into an Orthodox complex. Unfortunately, somewhere around WW2, it also aquired an addition that was a prison. In this prison area, in the courtyard, the NKVD massacred over 3000 people. It looks really run down now, but I think it still functions at least a little.

My next sight was close by as well, the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul. You can't help but see it, as it is big, and set right on the edge of the street.

It is a Polish Catholic church, so there are benches in the sanctuary. I wasn't a big fan of the interior, though I don't know why.

I kept walking, and made my way to the Lutheran church, which was closed. It was also closed the first time I visited, so I'm guessing it is only open during services. It's not an eye catching building, but I tend to like churches no matter how they look.

More walking took me to the sculptor's house. It's not an official sight, in that you don't get to go inside and walk around. It is simply a private residence owned by a sculptor, and you can see heaps of sculptures all over the grounds.

The house itself is also unique, to say the least.

I soon found another open church, the church of Holy Protection. It was an Orthodox church, not very big. As I walked in, a lady was cleaning the floor, and she felt the need to talk to me. She asked me about my faith, and when I answered, she told me I was wrong. That's the first time I've been told my faith is wrong, it was not a pleasant experience. I've always believed everyone has the right to their own beliefs, but does not have the right to force those beliefs or act on anyone else. Her telling me I was wrong was pretty much the only part of the conversation that I understood.

I nodded and smiled during the rest, but I didn't have any idea what she was saying. I don't know if she didn't see that I didn't understand, or didn't care. Oh well. When I left the church she taught me how to make the cross properly. According to her beliefs anywho.

As I walked back toward the big platz I mentioned earlier, I passed a sister city tree. At least, that's what I'm assuming it was, as it listed a few cities, and the distances to those cities. I don't know why else that particular set of cities would've been chosen to be on the 'tree.'

I had sushi for dinner that night, as I often have sushi when I'm traveling over a weekend in Ukraine.

The next morning I woke up early as usual, then didn't do much of anything for several hours, also as usual. Eventually I cleaned up, packed up, and checked out. I took my bag to the train station for storage during the day. While I was there I asked about the electric train to Klevan. It turns out it leaves every day at 0840, returning at 1700 or so every day. I should've gone the day before, but between feeling awful and not knowing the schedule, that just didn't happen.

My first official sight for the day was the Icon Museum. I'd never heard of it, and the people working the front desk seemed rather surprised to find a foreigner wanting to visit. The museum was two floors, with 3 rooms on each floor.

The icons on display went as far back as the 12^th or 13^th centuries! Most seemed to be from the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Some were in better shape than others, of course. Different types of wood fall apart in different ways with different types of paint used to tell a story. I really enjoyed them as art, rather than religious items. I was the only person visiting while I was there, but there were three people working. The lights for each room were only turned on when I was in the room, they were all off otherwise.

Not too far from the icon museum was the military museum. The full name of the museum is longer, but I don't remember it. This was another place that seemed surprised to have a foreign visitor. I paid my entry fee, and started my tour by checking out the backyard. The yard displayed a helicopter, a plane, several tanks, and other vehicles and large items. I might've stayed out there longer if it had been a little warmer. Tromping through the snow wasn't so much fun. Many of the vehicles were open, so I was able to go in the (falling apart) helicopter cockpit. There were descriptive signs in front of everything, but since I don't know anything about this industry, knowing the name of a tank didn't mean much to me.

I went inside next, which felt amazing. I don't know how warm it really was inside, but I do know it was plenty warmer than outside. All through the three rooms were pictures and items of various times in military history. There were even some items from the civil war currently taking place in the east of Ukraine. One of those items was a sticker with the name of Donbas Independent Republic, or something along those lines. Argh.

After leaving the military museum I wanted a snack. I settled for something from a bakery not too far away. I stayed in the bakery longer than I should've, but the cold was taking everything out of me. At least I didn't feel like throwing up anymore.

I walked in the direction of the castle/fortress, hoping to catch a tour of the dungeon and tunnels under the nearby cathedral. When I got there I figured out I'd just missed the tour by about ten minutes, argh. I made a note of when to return, and where to buy tickets.

I continued walking, making my way to a monastery. I think it was the Benedictine monastery, though I'm not entirely sure. The sun was starting to lower in the sky, which gave me a couple great photos around that area. I entered the church of the monastery, which was quite small. I was the only one in there at the time, which I loved.

Near the monastery was a bridge over a river, but I don't think it was going anywhere I wanted to go. I crossed over, then turned around and came back; not very exciting, I know. While on the street again I noticed a water pump, which reminded me of what I saw at the one room schoolhouse near where I grew up in the states. Who uses this pump? How often is it used?

I walked to the old synagogue, another example of what was once a vibrant Jewish community that has gone away. This synagogue was also a fortress, to protect the city and offer worship. Sadly, it's now a sports club.

I saw a laundry line that didn't look very useful in the cold weather. It was covered in ice, and icicles. Very pretty, but pointless.

I went back to the cathedral to catch the dungeoun tour. The tour was in ukrainian, so I had no idea what was being said most of the time, but I've gotten used to that. It's not always hard to figure out what I'm seeing when I don't understand a tour guide.

I saw several tunnels, a couple piles of bones, and excavation work still taking place. For some of the years the Soviets ruled with Communism, the church itself was used as a market rather than a church! At one end of a tunnel I got to see the original metal gates from the 1700s, which are quite rusted. Even with the rust, I was impressed that they'd lasted for centuries. So much of what is built now won't last anywhere near that long.

As we exited, I saw the sun had set so it was dark. And cold, very very cold. I put up the hoodie on my sweatshirt, as well as the hood on my jacket.

I moseyed my way back to the same sushi restaurant as the night before, staying there for more than two hours. After eating I walked to the train station and waited for the train. Just before boarding, I noticed icicles hanging off my train, eeeek!!

The train ride back to Kyiv was easy and smooth, something I've come to expect from the Ukrainian train system.

I want to come back to Lutsk, mostly so I can go to Klevan and see the tunnel of love in winter.  

ukraine: kyiv: winter walking

I love snow. I love winter. I grew up in a place that gets snow a few times every winter but doesn't stay really cold the whole time. I remember when I was a kid, wishing we lived in a place with a 'real' winter. I remember being slightly jealous of people who lived farther north, as I would see news reports of blizzards and the like, I wanted to be there. I still feel that way. Yes, I know plenty of people think that's crazy.

Now I live in Ukraine. Winter is real here. Very very real. My first winter here it didn't go under freezing until mid January, but then it got really cold, really fast, an stayed there. We were under freezing for more than two months, a month of which was at -25C or so. Trust me, that's cold. (And yes, I know there are plenty of people who are regularly in colder weather.)

Every family has a sled, or something on which people can slide on the snow. Everyone has proper winter boots, usually several pairs. (And quite often Ukrainian women wear stiletto winter boots.) when the snow starts there are heaps of people out on the hills of the city, sliding everywhere. I think it's awesome.

Last winter was remarkable only in that it wasn't remarkable. It didn't go below -10C very much, most everyone I know commented on how mild the entire season was.

This year we've already gotten to -10C, we went under freezing for two weeks starting toward the end of November. As I write, temperatures are back above freezing, so ice and snow has melted. Given the current gas/heating situation, (no one is reading this blog to read what I say about the situation with Russia) it's better to have another mild winter. That being said, I'm hoping for another cold winter. I love snow, I like ice (except for when I fall and end up with massive bruises that take weeks to heal.) I hope to see the river freeze over :)

The photos in this post have been taken over the entire time I've lived here.

I think winter is beautiful. I like blue skies a whole lot more than grey skies, but even grey winter skies have their own beauty. My second year here we had a massive snowstorm at the end of march. Everyone remembers, as it dumped 50cm (~20in) in 36 hours. That happened on Friday/Saturday, the city was still shut down the following Monday. That sort of snow isn't shocking here, but no one was ready for it so late in the season.

Winter weather doesn't stop life here. It's just another season, with appropriate activities. People are always outside in the snow, quite often with kids. That first year my flat mate and I thought Ukrainians were crazy, as they would be hanging out outside drinking and being social, when the temperatures were below freezing. Crazy.

ukraine: dnipropetrovsk

My train left kyiv at 2330, arriving in Dnipropetrovsk (southeast of kyiv) at 0700 Saturday morning...as I left the train there were a few people still asleep, and others not making any move to leave the train...I knew Dnipropetrovsk was the end station, so who knows what all of them were up to...this was the first time i'd ever seen people still asleep when the train came to it's final stop...usually the conductor comes through an hour before arrival, then again 20 minutes or so before, making sure everyone is ready to get off the train...

I exited the train into snow...at that point it was snowing lightly, and everything was greyish white...since it is still early in the season, we haven't had any big snows yet. I walked a bit and found the bus station, in which was a hotel where ii'd booked a room...it wasn't marked at all, I wouldn't have found it or seen it if I hadn't looked very carefully...a very basic place, to say the least...i dropped my stuff, and attempted to warm up, but that wasn't really happening...i thought i'd booked a single room, but two other ladies were there, so i figured it was a dorm room...one of them complained to the manager lady that it was cold, so i wasn't the only one feeling that way...

I started walking into the city center...I walked along Karl Marx avenue, which runs a long way...it's one of those streets that has a pedestrian area in the middle...there were heaps of people out, despite the snow, the early hour, and the fact that it was saturday morning...
One of my first sights was the opera building...the outside was not attractive...at all...typical boring soviet style, not like what I expected...so boring I didn't take a photo...if i hadn't looked at a map and known for sure it was an opera house, i never would've guessed...the only visible clue were the opera and theatre schedules posted out front...the statue and would be fountain off to the side were much more interesting...

Not too far away, I found another theatre building, it looked way better...as I looked at that building, I also became aware of men selling stuff in a small non permanent market...I saw buttons, a few old items, etc...behind the men was a building with plenty of graffiti...I couldn't tell if it hadn't been finished, or was falling apart...either way, it was blocked off and I couldn't get close...
Then I walked down teatralna street...a few small shacks with electronics, and more stalls with books...not much else...lonely planet says this is a street worth visiting, i didn't feel the attraction...maybe because it was snowing? and still relatively early saturday morning?

As I continued up Karl Marx street I saw the golden domes of a church and figured out how to get there...(it was behind the building in front of me, I had to walk way around)...very pretty, not big, and rather dark inside since the lights were not turned on...
Lunch was next, though a bit early at only 1100...then back to the Main Street...
Eventually I made it to the end of the street...there was a statue of lemonosov, in front of the national mining university...there was also a tank memorial to general Pushkin...

on the other side of the street was the history museum...the museum was small, but that didn't matter...outside I could see heaps of little statues off to one side of the building...on the other side of the building was a tomb...behind the building was a display of military items...rockets, a tank, trucks, etc...nifty looking in the snow...
I walked to Shevchenko park, with ta grand entrance...as I walked through I saw a couple having their wedding photos taken...in the snow! The wedding party was waiting around...I didn't feel bad for the two ladies wearing miniskirts who looked cold (that's just dumb in snowy windy weather, no matter what the occasion)...I did feel bad for the people dressed appropriately who were clearly cold...

Toward the back of the park I came upon the cathedral of the transfiguration...not big, very nice inside...again, not lit, so it was kinda dark...
After the church I made my way back to my hotel, picked up my stuff, then took the tram to another hotel...I was cold in the first hotel, and the wifi wasn't working...it took me a bit to find the new hotel (what's with the lack of signage??) but it was worth it...heat and wifi, what more could I want??
The next morning I woke up slowly, just because I could...I got out later than planned, not that it mattered...first up was lunch, as I hadn't eaten dinner the night before...

It wasn't snowing anymore, but it was still windy, plus the ice on the streets and sidewalks made walking an adventure...
After lunch I got back to a park I hadn't seen the day before...pretty, with a small amusement park for kids...a pond...a theatre in the middle of the pond...people sledding  down the hills everywhere, it looked like fun :)
I found a small train station, I don't know if the trains actually run...maybe in summer? the trains were covered in snow, and the tracks were blocked off in one direction...
Walking down the street I found another church...not an Orthodox Church...nice and quiet, relaxing :)...

Next up was a hot chocolate and cake stop in a cafe :)...the cafe had plugs and free wifi, yahoo!
After warming up and charging the iPhone I started walking again...this time walking down a street parallel to Karl Marx street...the street was quiet, residential on one side with car repair places on the other side...I bet the views from the tall apartment buildings are nice :)
At some point I realized it was dark...I don't love walking around in the dark, especially when it's cold...I found a lighted area outside another big mall (I've saw heaps in this city) and walked all the way around...then I figured it was time to go back inside, so I found a sushi place for dinner...(heaps of sushi restaurants here too)...

After dinner I killed more time until making my way back to the train station and waiting until my train left at 2225...have I mentioned how much I love the train system in this country?